ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man who attacked an 8-year-old girl inside a popular Albuquerque restaurant has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
On Tuesday, Nichalas San Souci was sentenced to serve 12 years in the custody of the New Mexico Corrections Department, followed by three years of supervised probation.
The case stems from an April 2025 attack at Saggio’s Restaurant on Cornell Drive near Central Avenue.
According to prosecutors, the young girl was waiting with her family to order food when San Souci struck her in the head with a beer bottle and then used broken glass from the bottle to continue the attack.
Witnesses at the restaurant intervened and restrained San Souci until law enforcement arrived. A nurse who happened to be dining at the restaurant provided medical assistance to the child before first responders reached the scene.
The girl suffered significant injuries and required 19 stitches.
In March 2026, San Souci pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree child abuse and one count of third-degree child abuse.
The sentencing brings to a close a case that drew widespread attention in Albuquerque because of the victim’s age and the public nature of the attack.
