Immigration status halts guilty plea in Greensburg meat cleaver attack
Sep. 5—A proposed plea deal for a man charged with attacking a co-worker last month in Greensburg with a meat cleaver was put on hold Tuesday over a judge's concerns about the immigration status of both men involved.
Westmoreland County prosecutors attempted to push through the unusually quick court disposition, less than a month after the alleged Aug. 15 incident. A plea would have allowed the release from custody of the victim, who was jailed on a material witness warrant out of fear he would flee the jurisdiction prior to trial, according to Assistant District Attorney Amanda Rubin.
Prosecutors also are concerned about the alleged victim's ability to testify at a trial, Rubin said.
The victim, who police say is a 19-year-old Mexican immigrant, was struck two times in the head with a meat cleaver at a Main Street house in Greensburg where he and his accused attacker lived, according to police. Both men worked at Mr. Tokyo, a sushi restaurant that opened this spring in Hempfield, according to prosecutors.
Liwu Tiang, 57, has been held in jail since he was arrested last month on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault.
Tiang was expected to plead guilty to one count of aggravated assault Tuesday, but that deal was put on hold by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani, who said he wanted clarification from federal authorities about the immigration status of the defendant and victim.
Rubin said she could not say for certain whether either man held legal status to be in the United States.
Prosecutors said Tiang and his accuser lived in the same house in Greensburg that is owned by their employer.
"I am more concerned about who is employing these people," Feliciani said. "There's a local employer and if they're (the government) not willing to investigate this, I'll cross that bridge, but until someone can tell me if they are here legally, I'm not willing to accept this plea."
Westmoreland County property records indicate the Main Street home where Tiang and his victim resided is owned by June Xu Zhang, who according to tax documents lists a Uniontown address.
Kevin Zhang in a telephone interview Tuesday identified himself as the owner of Mr. Tokyo and said he did not know either Tiang or the alleged victim in the meat cleaver attack. Zhang confirmed his ownership of the Main Street house.
"I have a house and it is only for my friends. I am not sure who they are. They're not my employees," Zhang said of the two men police said were involved in the Greensburg attack.
Investigators learned Tiang had an expired permit to work in the United States that had been issued in California. He was assisted in court by a Mandarin interpreter. Defense attorney Michael Worgul said in court that Tiang is a documented immigrant and may have legal status.
Information about Tiang's accuser has been harder to discover. Rubin said the alleged victim, who received two head wounds that had to be stapled closed, speaks little English, has a Mexican birth certificate and speaks Tzotzil, a Mayan dialect.
Both men will remain in custody, the judge said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
