Locals have targeted former TOWIE star Elliot Wright’s Spanish restaurant with graffiti calling him a ‘killer’ less than two days after his doorman was killed while trying to break up a fight at the eatery.
The front of the popular Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella was spray-painted bright pink with Spanish words which translate to ‘Killer Elliot’ and ‘Mafia’.
It was not immediately clear if Mr Wright, 43, had reported the attack to police or who was behind the vandalism but it came two years after the restaurant went up in flames in a suspected arson attack.
The restaurant was vandalised after Mr Wright announced he was closing the eatery for two days following the death of doorman Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo, 55.
The father-of-two died in hospital on Sunday after suffering life-threatening injuries when he intervened in a brawl at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant.
Insiders have since confirmed that police are hunting a British man amid unconfirmed reports that Mr Pardo had been pushed or punched in the altercation before losing his balance.
Locals have targeted former TOWIE star Elliot Wright’s Spanish restaurant with graffiti calling him a ‘killer’ less than two days after his doorman was killed while trying to break up a fight at the eatery
The front of the popular Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella was spray-painted bright pink with Spanish words which translate to ‘Killer Elliot’ and ‘Mafia’
Elliott Wright has temporarily closed his restaurant in the resort of La Cala de Mijas for two days following Mr Pardo’s death. The former TOWIE star is pictured at Olivia’s La Cala
Father-of-two Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo, 55, (pictured) died in hospital on Sunday evening after suffering life-threatening injuries when he intervened in a fight at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella
Olivia’s La Cala went up in flames in the early hours of April 26, 2021 in an arson attack which is still being investigated and is never believed to have led to any arrests. Pictured: The scene of the fire
Mr Pardo, a bodybuilder from Venezuela, was knocked unconscious on Saturday night and taken in a serious condition to a hospital in Malaga, Spain, where he was admitted to intensive care.
Well-placed sources said he had been declared brain dead and his life support machine was switched off after hitting the back of his head. He is thought to have fallen to the ground during attempts to eject one of the men involved in the fracas.
Mr Wright closed his restaurant in the resort of La Cala de Mijas yesterday and today following Mr Pardo’s death. The reality TV personality said his ‘heart was broken’ and his staff had ‘lost a much loved and valued member of our team’.
Now, the restaurant has been targeted in yet another attack, with locals spraying graffiti all over the white walls of the eatery.
It came just two years after Mr Wright’s restaurant went up in flames on April 26, 2021 following what he said was an arson attack.
At the time, Mr Wright said in an emotional video that someone had taken ‘his whole dream away’ in the suspected arson attack.
‘Someone’s come and took my whole dream away, for whatever reason I’ll never know, because I don’t have any enemies as far as I’m aware, I didn’t think I did. Whether it’s jealousy or competition, it doesn’t really matter,’ he said following the fire.
It is not clear who was behind that arson attack – as police have still made no arrests – or who is behind the latest targeted attack which saw the eatery vandalised.
The vandals called Mr Wright a ‘killer’ after his bouncer Mr Pardo was killed in an altercation between customers at the restaurant.
The front of the popular Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella was spray-painted bright pink with Spanish words which translate to ‘Killer Elliot’ and ‘Mafia’
TOWIE star Elliott Wright’s is pictured in 2021 surveying the scene of the fire at his restaurant
It came just two years after Mr Wright’s restaurant went up in flames on April 26, 2021 following what he said was an arson attack (pictured)
It is not clear who was behind that arson attack – as police have still made no arrests – or who is behind the latest targeted attack which saw the eatery vandalised
Mr Pardo was a father of two grown-up children believed to be a previous relationship. He married Romina Acuna, a personal trainer and gym instructor in Las Vegas, in November last year.
Ms Acuna described her new fitness fanatic husband as the ‘love of my life’ in an emotional social media post after they wed and posed for photos near a white stretch limousine.
She moved to Mijas on the Costa del Sol at the start of 2021 from her previous base in Barcelona and the couple enjoyed a holiday together in Chile before getting married.
A police investigation into Mr Pardo’s death, led by the Civil Guard in Malaga, is ongoing but detectives confirmed last night that no arrests have yet been made.
Officers have taken CCTV footage from Mr Wright’s restaurant, which was gutted in an arson attack two years ago, on Sunday after interviewing staff.
The results of a post-mortem, believed to have taken place yesterday, have not been revealed and are not expected to be officially made public. They will instead be sent to an investigating judge heading an ongoing judicial probe into Mr Pardo’s death.
Local reports said the doorman hit his head on the corner of a table as he tried to intervene in the fracas.
But sources said he hit the back of his head directly on the floor and not a table.
Elliott Wright has shut his Olivia’s La Cala restaurant (pictured) for two days as police continued to probe the Saturday night tragedy
Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo was knocked unconscious and evacuated in a serious condition to a hospital in Malaga, Spain where he was admitted to intensive care. He died on Sunday
Unconfirmed local reports have pointed to the doorman (pictured) receiving a punch as he tried to intervene in the fight which led to him hitting his head on the corner of a table as he fell and lost his balance
The restaurant released a statement on Instagram yesterday paying tribute to Mr Pardo
One said: ‘The local reports talk of a group of people fighting but it was between two people.
‘The doorman went down as he tried to eject one of the two men.’
Another added: ‘Elliott had a great relationship with the dead guy and is devastated at what’s happened.
‘He had worked for him for two years.
‘There was an argument between two people in the restaurant and he’s fallen on the floor and hit his head after intervening.
‘It looks like he slipped after one of the guys he was kicking out pushed or punched him but that’s something the police are still investigating.
‘He landed awkward and banged his head as he fell backwards.
‘The ambulance took about 45 minutes to an hour to come and he was rushed to hospital.’
Mr Pardo had been working as a doorman at Olivia’s La Cala for the past two years.
The source added: ‘He had swelling on the brain and brain damage because of a lack of oxygen and they said at the hospital he was brain dead.
‘They switched the machines off on Sunday.
‘Earlier the same day police took all the camera footage away and took down statements from the staff.’
In a statement released yesterday, Olivia’s La Cala said: ‘This weekend we lost a much loved and valued member of our team.
‘Our hearts are broken and we have closed the restaurant today and tomorrow out of respect.
‘We are supporting our staff and the family whilst awaiting news of further investigations.’
Olivia’s La Cala went up in flames in the early hours of April 26, 2021 in an arson attack which is still being investigated and is never believed to have led to any arrests.
The restaurant, which opened in August 2015, had to close so it could be rebuilt.
CCTV footage handed to police showed two masked men with jerrycans breaking into the site shortly before it went up in flames.
The devastating blaze occurred just five weeks after Mr Wright’s dad Edward George died from coronavirus.
At the time, Mr Wright said in an Instagram post after it was confirmed the fire had been started deliberately: ‘I can say now that it is arson.
‘Someone’s come and took my whole dream away, for whatever reason I’ll never know, because I don’t have any enemies as far as I’m aware, I didn’t think I did.
‘Whether it’s jealousy or competition, it doesn’t really matter.’
