Turns Out the Peter Luger Bite Incident Was Provoked by Venezuelan Politics

Turns out a lot of intense political heat was behind an incident where a woman was bitten by a fellow diner at Peter Luger Steakhouse.

According to DNAinfo and Nuevo Herald, the woman who was bitten on Sunday had been eating with Rafael Ramirez, the Venezuelan representative to the U.N. who used to head a state-owned petroleum company in the country. The people who confronted him were activists — saying that Ramirez is partly responsible for Venezuela’s growing death toll from violence between police and protestors.

Here’s a video of the confrontation, where one protestor calls Ramirez an “assassin,” DNAinfo reports:

Earlier this week, police said the attack was unprovoked and noted that the biter and the victim did not know each other.

Ramirez tweeted about the incident and said that he had been with his family at Peter Luger on Sunday when the biting happened. He also said he had been attacked and that “justice will be served.”

Venezuela’s economic and political crisis has meant intense food and healthcare shortages, leading to protests that have led to violent interactions between police and anti-government activists. At least 75 people have died.

Eater has reached out to Peter Luger Steak House. Update: In a statement, the restaurant says “it's a police matter and we have no further comment at the time.”

• Woman Bitten at Peter Luger Was Dining With Venezuelan U.N. Rep: Report [DNAinfo]