Left to right: John Guzie Jr., John Guzie Sr. and Tanner Guzie (Suffield Police Department).
A Connecticut fire captain is facing charges along with his two adult sons for allegedly instructing them to assault a man he suspected of engaging in a sexual relationship with a woman he resided with.
John Guzie Sr., who serves as a captain at the Suffield Volunteer Fire Department, reportedly “snapped his fingers” and yelled, “Hit that guy in the mouth to teach him a lesson,” as per arrest warrants acquired by local CBS affiliate WFSB.
“Silence that guy!” Guzie Sr. allegedly shouted from the deck of a West Suffield home he reportedly shared with the woman at one time.
His sons, John Guzie Jr., 25, and Tanner Guzie, 23, “promptly reacted to their father’s command and charged at the individual, starting to punch him,” according to police reports.
The duo allegedly struck the man “around eight times” on his head, face, and jaw using closed fists. The woman involved in the situation also received several blows while attempting to intervene, according to the police.
The woman reported the alleged domestic disturbance with Guzie Sr. to authorities on Aug. 8. The home is jointly owned by both of them, as noted by local ABC affiliate WTNH.
The woman, described by WTNH as being a member of Suffield Emergency Medical Services (EMS), was outside with the alleged victim and two other women, also from Suffield EMS, according to the arrest warrants. The four of them were “cooling off” in a pool at the home when Guzie Sr. arrived at the residence and started accusing the female homeowner of having sex with the man who was there, prompting her to go inside and talk with him, police said.
“[The other parties] explained that [the woman] then walked back down to the pool and was extremely upset and explained to them John Guzie Sr is upset because he thinks [the woman] is f—ing [the man],” the arrest warrants state.
The woman allegedly “drank too much” earlier in the day and was intoxicated, according to police, which led to her “vomiting” by the pool. Guzie Sr. had already left at this point, but his sons arrived soon after and confronted the group, police said.
Tanner Guzie and Guzie Jr. both showed up and became upset over the woman being ill and drunk, WTNH reported. Guzie Jr. came outside “swinging a golf club around” in an aggressive manner while stating, “You think you’re tough now, p—y?”
Guzie Sr., who was serving as Suffield’s acting fire chief due to the current one being on vacation, drove back up in his Suffield fire chief vehicle and started barking out orders, according to the arrest warrants.
“[Guzie Sr.] immediately walked outside through the back door and was watching the incident,” the warrants say.
After letting them get their punches in, Guzie Sr. shouted, “Let’s go boys,” and the two young men “backed off from punching [the male victim] and began walking out of the backyard,” according to police.
Guzie Sr. moved out of the home where the alleged attack occurred just one week before it happened, reports say. It’s unclear why.
The fire captain, who is now on personal leave, allegedly called a Suffield police officer two months before the attack and asked how he could remove a person from the pool area at the home if he wanted to, WTNH reports. He allegedly admitted that the person was the same male victim his sons attacked, according to police.
John Guzie Sr. faces charges of third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit assault and disorderly conduct; John Guzie Jr. faces charges of conspiracy to commit assault, two counts of third-degree assault, second-degree threatening, second-degree reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct; Tanner Guzie faces charges of conspiracy to commit assault, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
