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Food Network star Tobias Dorzon is recounting the night he was shot 11 times during an armed robbery.
In a candid interview with People magazine, Dorzon — who has appeared on Guy Fieri’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Tournament of Champions” — reflected on the night of Nov. 5, 2024, in which he was gunned down by a group of armed robbers and detailed how he managed to survive the traumatic attack.
“I was trying to cover [my girlfriend, Crystal Swan], and then I started getting hit,” Dorzon, who had just returned to his Maryland home after a date night in the city, told the outlet. “I went to the ground and tried to drag myself toward the curb, but I couldn’t hear my girl.”
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Food Network star Tobias Dorzon survived being shot 11 times in an armed robbery. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images; Tobias Dorzon Instagram)
Dorzon said he and Swan had just gotten out of their Uber when they noticed a group approach them with guns drawn.
That evening, he had opted to go without his security detail.
“You got that last second of almost thinking, are you still going to be here? People walking toward you that just shot you multiple times, what are they coming for? Are they coming to kill you? Are they coming to rob you? You really don’t know the end result. I’m just hoping my kids are good.”
“At that point, I’m thinking they’re going to pretty much finish me off,” said Dorzon, who recalled his hands being covered in blood.
Dorzon was shot 11 times. His girlfriend Swan was also hit and had collapsed in the front yard.
Dorzon managed to FaceTime his brother by placing his phone up on the curb from where he had fallen, while a neighbor also called 911 for help.
According to charging documents obtained by WJLA, authorities said the items stolen — including Dorzon’s Audemars Piguet watch and his diamond necklace — were worth about $100,000 altogether.
Dorzon recovered in the hospital for two months after undergoing multiple surgeries. (Helen Healey/NBC via Getty Images)
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Five suspects fled the scene in a stolen car. Authorities later identified one of the suspects as 21-year-old Devin Demetrius Spivey, according to People. Spivey, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 18 charges, including attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed robbery and stalking.
“It is still an ongoing investigation and there are numerous other suspects still at large,” Spivey’s attorney, Brendan Callahan, told People. “There are many unanswered questions in the case and we are confident that further investigation will reveal that Devin Spivey did not shoot Mr. Dorzon.”
Dorzon, whose girlfriend also survived the ordeal, was told he may never walk again because of the severe injuries he sustained below his knee.
The celebrity chef is getting ready for his return to television a year after the incident. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“I really didn’t know what to take from everything,” he told the outlet. “For somebody that just never really been in trouble, I thought coming back home to build something in my hometown, being a hometown hero, something like that could never happen to me.”
“I ask myself every day, ‘Was I wrong for going out that night? Should I have not went out that night?’ It’s just so many different things that I ask myself, but I’m here. I tell myself every day God got a bigger purpose for me.”
Dorzon spent two months in the hospital recovering after undergoing multiple surgeries and rounds of physical therapy, as seen on his Instagram.
He also received support from Fieri.
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“Even after the shooting, he was constantly on the phone with me checking in, making sure the medical staff were taking care of me, offering to order food for everyone, and just giving me words of encouragement,” he said of Fieri. “He’s been here for me the whole time, every step of the way.”
Now, Dorzon — who is returning to TV with the premiere of Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas” — is adjusting to life post-shooting.
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The chef lost feeling in one of his fingers, making it harder for him to move as quickly in the kitchen as he would like. Nevertheless, he’s grateful for his recovery.
“I’m just super grateful to be here, to be in the moment and to still be able to cook and give people an experience,” he said. “That has always been my biggest focus and my dream, to create a memorable food experience for others.”
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