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Next month, Turkey Leg Hut co-owner Lyndell “Lynn” Price is headed back to court, facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an incident that occurred at forthcoming Third Ward bar-restaurant, Savoy Ice House.
A tipster pointed Eater in the direction of the arrest report from February 7, which alleges that Price struck a man named Davis Webster after Webster engaged in a verbal altercation with Price’s wife and Turkey Leg Hut co-owner Nakia Price at Savoy Ice House. Webster allegedly told officers he was heading to the restaurant to meet with a friend, Jabar Watson, who he said was the owner. In the police report, Webster says that he went to the as-yet-unopened restaurant under the assumption that Lynn and Nakia Price would not be on the premises.
After the verbal altercation, the police report alleges that Price hit the man in the head with a pistol, then allegedly threatened to kill him. Webster allegedly sustained multiple injuries during the altercation, including a 5-centimeter laceration on the back of his head and a “bruised indentation that appeared as a gun slide,” referring to the part of a pistol that is pulled back (or “racked”) to prepare it for firing.
The beef between Price and Webster is apparently longstanding. According to the police report, tensions between the two began when Webster repossessed a van that he sold to the Prices shortly before Lynn Price was sentenced to federal prison after he was convicted in an identity theft and tax return fraud scheme in 2015.
In a statement to police, Nakia Price said that she asked security guards from the Turkey Leg Hut to intervene after Webster had been asked to leave Savoy, but he allegedly refused to leave. Nakia Price also told police that she had not seen the alleged altercation and that Lynn Price had left the premises. The report indicates that Lynn Price’s attorney told police that Price “would not be giving a statement on this incident.”
In a statement provided to Eater, Price’s attorney Letitia D. Quinones denied Webster’s allegations. She also claimed that Price was not a co-owner of Turkey Leg Hut, despite court filings and the restaurant’s own website indicating otherwise.
“It is unfortunate that someone is attempting to falsely accuse Mr. Price, making accusations in this matter and that once people reach a level of success, that others attempt to take advantage of situations in an attempt for personal financial gain,” the statement reads in part. “We look forward to our day in court that will prove these accusations wrong as the Prices continue to be involved in the their community in a positive way and growing the Third Ward area.”
Savoy Ice House, announced in 2019, was originally expected to open its doors back in 2020. If photos uploaded to the bar’s Instagram account are any indication, it’s inching toward an opening soon — earlier this week, the bar posted the progress of its almost-finished outdoor patio.
This is just the latest in a series of legal dramas involving the owners of the Turkey Leg Hut. The celeb-approved restaurant has been embroiled in multiple lawsuits over the past few years, including one filed in 2019 by nearby residents who alleged its “noxious” smoke was polluting the air before dropping the suit. Last year, co-owner Nakia Price and former business partner Steven Rogers sued each other in a pair of dramatic lawsuits, accusing each other of financial misconduct, theft, and fraud. That litigation is still pending.
Lynn Price is expected to appear in a Harris County courtroom on June 3 for arraignment on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Eater has reached out to a representative for the Turkey Leg Hut for comment on the incident and will update this story with any additional details as they become available.
Update: This story has been updated throughout to clarify details surrounding the alleged incident involving Webster and Price, and to include a statement from Price’s attorney.
