Thom Pham Shaken, Not Stirred
You may recall this story about local restaurant owner and former judo instructor Thom Pham tracking some deadbeat diners into an alley and making them pay.
[paragraph removed due to my realization that it offended some people]
According to the Star Tribune:
Thom Pham was on his way home after locking up the Azia restaurant at 3:45 a.m. when six to eight men assaulted him outside the Asian eateries on the 2500 block Nicollet Avenue S., a Minneapolis police report said.
“Sticks and possibly bricks” were used in the attack, which resulted in “blunt force trauma to the head, lacerations to the skull and face, a broken eye socket, concussion and severe bleeding.”
Thankfully, Pham has been released from the hospital. Police are offering a $10K reward for information. What a terrible ordeal, and I hope he fully recovers. Knowing Thom, it’ll be only a matter of days before he tracks down the perpetrators and gives them a taste of his medium-well fist.
Stay tuned to Part 3 in this continuing saga…
[UPDATE: Hey, I updated the post and want to turn your attention to the post from early July here (also linked above) comparing Thom's mad judo skills to Chuck Norris. This post was meant to be a follow-up to praising how awesome Thom is and how we know he'll be back better than ever for the sequel. Didn't mean to offend anyone. Hope you'll all be aiming your outrage at the incident into meaningful change for the surrounding community.]
Related posts:
That’s seriously fucked up. It really does sound like someone put a hit out on him.
Karma?
He tracked down folks for not paying a huge bill and deserves to get beaten with “sticks and possibly bricks” in return?
Quality insensitive blogging there, Greg.
In no way do I mean to imply he deserved being beaten. Like my previous post, this was written with a tongue-in-cheek tone alluding to Thom as an action hero (which he may be, for the record). I’m a big fan of Thom and meant it when I said I wish him a full recovery.
Holy SHIT, dude.
“His karmic ass handed to him?”
Comparing it to a “good action movie?”
Photoshopping him into a cowboy getup?
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?
What the fuck is your problem?
I am CRYING as I type this, I cannot believe the SICK ASS INSENSITIVITY of this website.
That is NOT funny, NOTHING about this is silly or ironic or hilarious or cynical or like a god damn TV show or MOVIE.
A little dude got all smashed up and a brick dropped on his head. If this was your GOD DAMN FUCKING BROTHER how would YOU FEEL if you saw this post? You sick, dumb, disrespectful, worthless FUCK. I am reporting this and making a complaint to the owners/moderators of this site.
You should hang your EMPTY head in shame for even THINKING this way.
If you clicked through to Greg’s previous post on Thom (which he linked to), you’ll see where the cowboy get up and the whole theme came from. It’s a little artistic license.
Like Greg said, I don’t think anyone here believes Thom deserved what happened to him.
I don’t really think Greg’s personal entitlement to “artistic license” or ANYTHING “artistic” has a place in this discussion. It’s a tragic hate crime that hits close to the bone for many people like Thom. His misfortune is not an opportunity to make art or jokes. He could have been killed.
I am 110% in favor of art, but sometimes it’s just plain old inappropriate, insensitive, and insipid. There is no specific instruction to click on any links to any previous story about this. This post sits there all by itself, lacking any immediately apparent context except one of immaturity.
Lame, heartless, and altogether unseemly for the usual quality of the MB site. Take it down.
Lame, heartless, and altogether unseemly for the usual quality of the MB site. Take it down.
So noted, and we’ll take that as a compliment.
Meanwhile, back at the subject…
I fail to see how making a special trip to any Phamous group restaurant constitutes a particularly meaningful show of support.
Jesus Christ. Completely tasteless. If people do indeed get their karmic asses handed to them, y’all best be looking out for the open manholes as you stroll down the street.
(And, Erica, supporting the businesses of a local business owner who’s had the shit beaten out of him seems like a perfectly appropriate show of support. Why the puzzlement?)
Dawny, HOW do YOU feel ABOUT this???? Don’t BE AFRAID to CAPITALIZE your FEELINGS.
Wow. Just wow. Then Erica has the gall to actually defend it. What the hell’s wrong with you Metrobloggers? Really?
Honestly, if I were Pham or a family member of Pham I’d look into some kind of legal action about this. Unreal. I have lost all respect and interest in this site as of today. What a shame.
This is really tasteless. And criticizing the punctuation of someone making a valid point is pretty juvenile. I know it’s the internet, and you want to make your hipster cred points by being all Chuck-Norris-ironic, but dial it down a notch and show some humanity.
I thought the post was hilarious. Lighten up and unclench your butthole, people.
As far my knowledge goes, no legal action can be taken. There was no slander, and certainly no false statements. When all is said and done, Pham walked out of the hospital. I really hope they catch the guys that did this. That’s where the harm was done.
You whiners were totally those kids on the playground who tattled to the teacher about every little thing.
I personally find the use of the f-word horribly offensive, but I don’t cry or try to get you kicked off the sight.
Grow up, this was supposed to be a complimentary article with some humor. Maybe it was a little too insensitive, but I think the comments are FAR worse than the article.
Besides he changed it now, so you whiners win. No more crying okay?
Hey, that reward is being offered by Pham, not by the police.
OMG, i’m dying over here reading this Sh*T… sounds like more scam for him TO GET MORE PLASTIC SURGERY! LOL… did I just say that…i’m sooo bitter. Look, i know the guy for 15 years now,,,, i have photo to prove it :)
Thanks,
SHHHHH