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Mahuffer's Bar Owner Pointed Gun At Bartender, Deputies Say

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 18, 2007

INDIAN SHORES - John Susor, the 88-year-old owner of Mahuffer's Bar, was arrested Wednesday, accused of pointing a gun at a bartender who refused to serve a drunken customer, according to court documents unsealed today.

John Susor

Susor, who lives at the bar, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. Two off-duty Pinellas County sheriff's deputies were in the bar July 21 and witnessed the confrontation between Susor and bartender Michael Martinez, the documents state. As the deputies were disarming Susor, he was heard telling them, "Just let me shoot him," court documents state.

Susor has had his share of problems with the powers-that-be.

The ex-bookie was arrested after a Jan 25, 1997, incident in which he was accused of throwing a crumpled-up piece of paper at an Indian Shores police officer. The officer was looking into a complaint that Susor intentionally had scraped the van of a business owner next door.

After the paper throwing incident, the officer and another Indian Shores officer got into a tussle with Susor and ultimately charged him with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest with violence and criminal mischief. A jury acquitted him of the charges.

Roughly five years ago, Susor got into a battle with Anheuser-Busch, which didn't like the fact that Susor was selling "Buttwiser" T-shirts. On the front of the shirt was a takeoff on the Budweiser trademark. Among other things, it said, "This Butt's For You" and "King of Rears," below a drawing of four women wearing T-back bathing suits.

The beer behemoth considered the T-shirts copyright infringement. Susor eventually signed an agreement saying he wouldn't sell them anymore.

In the July 21 incident, Susor became upset after he learned that bartender Michael Martinez had refused to serve an intoxicated customer and also had asked the customer to leave the bar, the court documents state.

First Susor grabbed Martinez by the throat, and when Martinez pushed him back and pinned him against the bar, Susor pulled a .38-caliber handgun from his pants pocket and pointed it at Martinez's chest, the documents state.

Deputies Thomas Shea and Lois Marconi announced to Susor that they were law enforcement officers and disarmed him, the documents state.

While Marconi was trying to take the gun out of Susor's hand, she announced "Gun," and Shea turned around to find the weapon pointed directly at him, with Susor's finger on the trigger, the documents state. Shea then forcibly removed the gun from Susor's hand, and at some point it fell to the floor, the documents state.

Susor fought with the deputies until an Indian Shores police officer showed up, the documents state.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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