WATCH: Heroic Waiter TACKLES Man Who Tried to Shoot Ex-Wife in Ohio Restaurant

Waiter at an Ohio restaurant tackles a man after he tried to shoot his ex-wife in newly released footage.

43-year-old Matthew Exton, of Toledo, Ohio, has been found guilty of attempted murder.

Exton had been drinking when he saw his ex-wife and her family celebrating at a… pic.twitter.com/ze6wLpn2LG

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 9, 2026

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According to WTOL, a Lucas County jury found Matthew Exton, 43, guilty of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and multiple firearm specifications. He was acquitted of a third felonious assault charge.

According to Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, as reported by WTOL, Exton had been drinking at neighboring Souk when he saw his ex-wife and her family at Sabira, which was celebrating its opening night.

Exton entered Sabira, ordered a drink to be sent to their table and spat toward the group as he left, according to prosecutors.

He later returned armed with a handgun and headed toward his ex-wife’s table.

Prosecution witnesses testified Exton attempted to fire the gun at his ex-wife, but it did not discharge because the safety was engaged. A waiter tackled Exton before he could make another attempt.

The gun contained one round in the chamber and seven more in the magazine, according to prosecutors.

“Nothing in their training and soft openings at the restaurant could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door,” Bates said, via WTOL. “The defendant did not come with the intention of having a meal. He came with anger in him and with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day.”

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During a trial that ended last week, Exton testified that he’d worked as a prosecutor in Michigan and was licensed to practice law in Ohio. He’d handled divorce, family and bankruptcy cases, he said, but he became homeless after he split up with his wife.

The couple divorced in 2024, according to court records.

He testified that he was frustrated by how she’d handled certain aspects of their divorce when he pulled a Colt Defender on her in the downtown Toledo restaurant on April 11, 2025.

Exton saw his ex-wife and her family at the restaurant, which was having its opening night, as he left a different restaurant next door, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Exton testified that he pointed the gun to show he was serious about her following a court order. He denied trying to shoot her.

“I did not fire,” he said. “I did not hurt her. I did not try to hurt her.”

Before he pointed the gun, prosecutors said, Exton ordered a drink and had it taken to the table where his ex was sitting with her family. He spat toward them and left, the prosecutor’s office said.

He returned with a gun and headed straight for his ex, according to the release.

Video released by the prosecutor’s office showed Exton approaching the table and removing a handgun from his pocket.

His ex told authorities that he pointed the gun at her chest and pulled the trigger multiple times, according to a petition for a protection order.

“The gun made rapid ‘click’ noises as he pulled the trigger,” she wrote in a statement included in the protection order, which she filed two days after the event.

The video showed Exton pointing the Colt as his ex yelled “gun.” The waiter could be seen tackling Exton moments later.

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