An NFL player turned award-winning celebrity chef and his companion were viciously attacked in Hyattsville, Maryland, on Tuesday as they were returning home from a night out.
Both were shot multiple times by four gunmen who opened fire with semiautomatic weapons, police said. The victims were hospitalized and are expected to survive.
Tobias Dorzon, who was named Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland last year, was one of the victims, a Prince George’s County Council member said. Dorzon previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, WTOP reported. He now owns two Hyattsville restaurants and hosts a cooking show.
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Barrage of gunfire, scream heard on surveillance video
Just after 10 p.m. Tuesday, police say Dorzon and his female companion were returning home after dinner. They had just gotten out of a rideshare vehicle, a black Cadillac Escalade, when four people jumped out of a white SUV and opened fire.
Three of the shooters were armed with semiautomatic handguns; the fourth had what Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod J. Towers described as a short rifle "of some sort."
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It is not clear why the four gunmen began shooting almost immediately. They robbed Dorzon after he'd already fallen to the ground.
Multiple cameras mounted on homes near Kirkwood Place captured the barrage of rapid gunfire. Someone can be heard screaming on the recording.
Towers said the gunfire began before the suspects made any sort of demands.
“They just shot them?” NBC Washington asked.
“Absolutely. No question,” Towers said.
In surveillance video obtained by NBC Washington, you can see the gunman then robbing Dorzon, who was lying in the street, as his companion limps to hide behind a nearby car.
Dorzon can be heard begging for his life.
Anna Valdez was watching election night returns when she heard the gunfire and looked out to see two people on the ground.
“I didn’t even think. I just ran out,” Valdez said. “I don’t know if I was going to help him because I don’t have any medical training, but I just wanted him to hear that, like, somebody was on the way, you know?”
Valdez said she told the female victim to sit down because she was injured.
Dozens of shots were fired, and multiple cars were hit.
“This is barbarous activity and conduct by violent criminals,” Towers said.
After the shooting and robbery, the driver of the white SUV sped away with the four armed robbers inside, an escape seen on security camera video.
News4 learned Thursday afternoon that police have found a vehicle they're investigating for association with the brutal crime.
"I want to see those responsible for this heinous act held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and I look forward to seeing Chef Dorzon back in the kitchen soon," Prince George’s County Councilmember Wanika Fisher, who represents the area, said in a statement.
Durzon owns two restaurants in Prince George’s County, Huncho House and 1123 By Chef Tobias.
He has appeared on the Food Network and hosts a cooking show called “Timeout with Tobias” on ESPN and Hulu.
NBC Washington has so far been unable to reach the chef or members of his family.