Man dead after fight outside Pat’s King of Steaks in South Philadelphia

Updated at 5:55 p.m.

Twenty-eight year old Isidro Cortez of Queens was beaten and killed during a fight with four men outside Pat’s King of Steaks around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, according to police.

The man’s father and friend also suffered minor injuries during the assault.

It’s the second killing at the iconic Philly cheesesteak shop in the last two months. In late July, a 22-year-old man was fatally shot outside the restaurant.

Police say the victims and suspects went to Pat’s following a soccer match in Chester. The victims allegedly argued with four suspects, who police described as men in their 20s who were wearing yellow Club America soccer jerseys.

The four suspects punched, kicked, and struck Cortez with a metal trash can lid, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“I have a knot in my stomach, a very empty feeling. It’s horrible when someone senselessly loses their life,” said Pat’s owner, Frank Olivieri.

He said he was not working during the incident, but has seen video footage of the assault.

“It was one of the most gut-wrenching videos I’ve watched … just a stupid argument that turned into a senseless beating for some reason,” he said.

Olivieri does not know what the fight was about, but given that the men attended a soccer match, he said it’s likely the brawl was related.

Chief Inspector Scott Small told 6ABC that the people involved may have been drinking. According to 6ABC, the suspects left the scene in a white SUV. Two people from the smaller group are being questioned.

Olivieri said he has asked for a designated officer to be assigned to his restaurant at certain times each day.

In July, 22-year-old David Padro of Camden was shot and killed during a fight at Pat’s. Paul Burkert, 36, of Reading, was charged with murder in the case. His lawyer argued the shooting was in self-defense, but the victim’s family disagreed.

“I don’t think my employees are in jeopardy, I don’t think my customers are in jeopardy, I think it’s just two coincidental unrelated incidents that happened where people just can’t act appropriately in public anymore,” Olivieri said. “We’ve been in business over 90 years, owned and operated by the same family, and this is just an incident that happened, tempers flared.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 215-686-3334, dial 911, or leave an anonymous tip at 215-686-TIPS.