RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond woman is suing a Shockoe Slip restaurant and its security worker after he allegedly punched her in the head and body multiple times and knocked her unconscious at the establishment last year. First reported by The Richmonder, Aylla Faith DeSantiago filed a $3 mil lion lawsuit against Sine Irish Pub on East Cary Street and its bouncer Kevin Angelo Bello in February after he allegedly violently assaulted her on Sept. 14, 2025. Authorities with the Richmond Police Department said the incident happened at around 3:17 a.m. When officers arrived, they spoke with DeSantiago, who told them she was assaulted by a staff member at the pub. DeSantiago was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Upon further investigation, officials determined the incident to be a misdemeanor simple assault and advised DeSantiago to seek a warrant through the magistrate's office. Suit alleges Bello repeatedly assaulted DeSantiago at Sine According to court documents, DeSantiago was at Sine with friends on the night of the incident. She encountered Bello when he was controlling entry and exit for the establishment's back door. Bello allegedly refused to let DeSantiago go out on the patio and "slammed a glass door on her, striking her in the face" at first. After a short discussion, Bello continued to prevent DeSantiago from exiting onto the patio and slammed the door in her face again, the suit alleged. Per court documents, while denying DeSantiago's exit, Bello repeatedly opened the door and allowed other patrons to exit through the back door during the exchange. One of the customers allegedly bumped into DeSantiago as they were leaving and caused her to lose her balance and stumble forward. At this point, Bello then "immediately" hit DeSantiago in the face and stomach rapidly. He allegedly punched her at least five times, knocking her unconscious on the floor of the patio at the pub's back entrance. Snapshots of a video filming the aftermath of the incident showed DeSantiago lying lifeless on the ground, her hair covering her face and her body turning to the side. When other customers attempted to help DeSantiago, Bello allegedly threatened them and brandished a stun gun, shouting, "Do you want some of this?" Bello also "aggressively threatened" other patrons who expressed displeasure with his actions, court documents said. DeSantiago was then taken to the hospital when police and EMS crews arrived. She allegedly suffered a concussion, traumatic brain injury, broken teeth, bruises and abrasions. Per court documents, several security cameras could have captured the incident, but Sine had intentionally disabled them because its manager allegedly said they had previously "led to [Sine] being in trouble when [it] shouldn't be." Richmond-based Gentry Locke and Roanoke-based Newton Sullivan represent DeSantiago in the suit. Her attorneys on Thursday, Feb. 19, shared a statement with 8News on behalf of DeSantiago. "This was a terrible experience for me. In addition to dealing with my injuries, I am now having to navigate the legal process in both the criminal and civil systems," the statement from Gentry Locke read. "I truly appreciate all the well-wishes and support that I have received from friends and the community at large, and I hope that justice is served in this situation." The statement continued, "I will do everything in my power to ensure that it is." Gentry Locke noted that several other victims have approached the firm and alleged that Bello also assaulted them at Sine since the news about the incident broke. The firm said it's investigating the additional allegations. Sine, Bello sued for negligence, assault Following the Sept. 14, 2025, incident, Bello was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and felony malicious wounding. A hearing for the felony charge is slated for March 2. Court documents indicated that he is currently in custody. Bello is also facing a different misdemeanor assault and battery charge filed by a different person. Per court documents, this incident took place on Jan. 6. The next hearing date is on March 5. This wasn't Bello's first run-in with the law. Court documents showed Bello's extensive criminal record in New Jersey with several felony convictions for terrorist threats, burglary, robbery and resisting arrest. Bello's possession of the stun gun that he brandished during the incident is a class 6 felony, per Virginia law. The suit argued that Sine also shares liability in the incident, claiming in part negligence and negligent hiring. "Sine either failed to conduct a reasonable investigation into Mr. Bello's criminal history prior to hiring him, or Sine knew about Mr. Bello's criminal record and propensity for violence and chose to hire him nonetheless, and allowed him to perform security for its restaurant and interact with its patrons," the suit wrote, noting that Bello's "extensive felony criminal history made it subjectively foreseeable, from Sine's perspective." When 8News reached out to Sine for comment on Thursday, Feb. 19, the pub said "Not today, no," and hung up. ...read more read less