ROCHESTER, N.Y. – New surveillance video captured a tense moment at Cafe Sasso on Park Ave when the owner yelled at a man to leave after he was accused of harassing a barista. The man, Oleksandr Levytskyy, was previously arrested for a similar crime along the Pittsford Canal last month.
Levytskyy was released last night after being arraigned in court. The cafe owner said Levytskyy lunged at her after initially targeting a barista.
“It’s her very first day on the job,” the owner said. “She’s walking down Park Ave, and she comes in, and she’s a little, like, pale, and she’s like, some man just approached me on a bike and he said, my skirt was so short.”
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. Tuesday. The owner said Levytskyy entered the cafe shortly after the barista and went straight to the bathroom.
Surveillance footage showed Levytskyy gathering his belongings after being told to leave several times. “I bang on it and I’m like, you’re not welcome here. You need to leave,” the owner said. “He throws like a soda and, like, splashes all over the paintings.”
Levytskyy waited for police to arrive and was arrested and charged with harassment and trespassing. Women in the area are now changing their habits due to his release.
“You got to adjust your behavior because, you know, if they’re going to keep letting people out like this, like, all you can do is adjust your behavior,” the owner said.
Cafe Sasso customer Dori Latek expressed her concerns. “We live in a scary time, and we want to make sure that we’re safe and can go get our coffee or go for a walk or a bike ride along the canal and feel safe,” Latek said.
“Like this is a place where I come to, you know, work, socialize and really feel safe in the community. So it’s so shocking to hear that this happened here in our community,” said Dori Latek, a customer at Cafe Sasso.
“I don’t usually go anywhere without my husband after dark or anything like that. I mean, it shouldn’t have to be that way, but that’s just. You got to adjust your behavior because, you know, if they’re going to keep letting people out like this,” the owner of Cafe Sasso said.
“How many chances is he going to have to continue this behavior that’s obviously threatening people, harming people,” said Janiah Washington. Police are urging women to stay vigilant and to call authorities if they notice anything suspicious.
The cafe owner is considering adding more external cameras. She expressed concern that Levytskyy might repeat his actions in a nearby town.
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