In a dramatic turn of events at the Manhattan Supreme Court, Tyshaun Watson, who had previously accepted a plea deal for a 17-year sentence, nearly jeopardized his agreement with an unexpected outburst. The incident unfolded during a hearing where Watson started to shift the blame onto his victim, causing frustration and anger in the courtroom.

Watson, who had admitted guilt in the brutal assault of Zakaira El Sherief, the manager of a Manhattan pizzeria, claimed during the hearing that he had been “provoked” into the attack. His assertions were met with stern disapproval from Judge Laura Ward, who interrupted his rant to suggest that perhaps a jury trial would be more fitting given his claims.

The 36-year-old Watson insisted that surveillance footage from the August 19, 2024, incident at Roma Pizza in the Flatiron District would back his version of events. He bizarrely argued that the video evidence would show that El Sherief had initiated the confrontation.

Judge Ward, however, was unswayed by Watson’s narrative. She cautioned him that if the case went to trial, he could face a much harsher sentence of up to 25 years. Despite Watson’s insistence, the judge eventually decided to play the surveillance footage in court, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the evidence against him.

“If we play the video, you’re going to trial and looking at 25 years,” the judge threatened, before eventually playing the footage for the courtroom.

“You were the first one to go behind the counter. He did not come out to get you,” a seething Ward snapped at him.

Indeed, the footage showed a wobbly Watson walking into the eatery with his black pit bull unleashed, then ordering two slices of pizza and a drink and taking a seat in the back of the restaurant.

The manager was seen coming over to him three times to speak, apparently telling him he could not have a dog without a leash inside the pizzeria.

Watson eventually picked up his slices and walked to the counter at front of the restaurant, where El Sherief packed the pizza in a to-go box, before the two appeared to start yapping at each other.

Watson then walks behind the counter, punches the victim and wrestles him to the ground — where he then starts to pummel him as his dog begins attacking the pair, the footage shows.

El Sherief eventually was able to get himself up and out of the pizzeria, where he attempted to block the doors to prevent his assailant from getting away — but Watson pushed his way through and began the vicious beating again, tackling the victim to the ground.

“The defendant stomped on the manager’s head, not once, but twice, as he laid unresponsive against the hard concrete,” Assistant District Attorney Nicole Borczyk said.

The prosecutor said Watson became “irate” when the 47-year-old victim told him repeatedly that his pit bull wasn’t allowed inside the pizza parlor, prompting the horrific attack.

The beating left El Sherief in a medically induced coma for two weeks. He ended up spending two months in the hospital for multiple fractures and brain bleeding, but has since been able to make a “miraculous recovery,” prosecutors said.

Watson, who called the manager a “f–king b–ch” during the beatdown, initially claimed that “whiskey played a part” in the vicious assault, the judge noted, before letting him address the court at the dramatic sentencing hearing.

After rewatching the video in court, Ward gave Watson another chance to avoid trial and to stick with the 17-year sentence settled upon as part of his plea agreement.

Watson, who copped to two counts of assault in the first degree on Dec. 3, 2025, finally admitted to “absolutely” throwing the first punch before offering a half-hearted apology to the victim, who was not in court as expected because he was feeling ill, according to prosecutors.

But Watson then began complaining about the length of his “excessive” sentence, complaining that it was more fit for a homicide — irking the judge even more. Prosecutors had initially recommended a sentence of 25 years behind bars.

Ward eventually found that Watson had taken responsibility — but warned him that she would fight to make sure he stayed in the slammer for his full sentence.

“Just so you know, I will use everything in my power whenever you come up for a parole review, to make sure that you stay in (prison) for the entire 17 years,” the judge said.

Watson’s attorney, Samantha Chorny, said outside the courtroom she felt that her client had taken accountability for the crime.