A Penn Hills man was arrested last weekend after chasing a group of kids out of a South Side store with a machete.
Neal Sims, 33, told police he “attempted to remove the kids” out of La Bodega Taqueria — a popular, bodega-style taco shop in the city’s largest entertainment district — around 7:50 p.m. Sunday, a criminal complaint said.
The group made the employees there uncomfortable, Sims told police, according to the complaint.
One of the kids told police he was inside the store’s bathroom, counting money from selling candy, the complaint said.
The kids, whose names and ages were not provided by police, then threatened Sims to come outside, the complaint said. Police said he walked to his vehicle, grabbed his machete and returned to the store “to defend himself.”
Juveniles flagged down police officers near the intersection of Sarah and 17th streets, the complaint said. When Sims stepped out of his vehicle and approached the officers, he was not carrying the knife.
Police said Sims told them the machete was inside his vehicle.
One of the juveniles said he wanted to press charges. His mother later confirmed that with police, the complaint said.
Police charged Sims with simple assault.
His attorney was not listed in court records. A preliminary hearing is set for June 2, court records show.
A man answering the phone Wednesday at the store hung up on a TribLive reporter.
The criminal complaint did not address Sims’ relationship to the restaurant or why he had a machete.