Bouncer pounds on patron as videos roll

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - A physical confrontation between bouncers and a bar patron captured on cell-phone video has both sides complaining to Albuquerque police.

The beating looks pretty brutal, but Uptown Sports Bar & Grill Manager Shane Brown said the video, while it may look bad, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Both the patron and the bar want to press charges.

“The gentleman in question came in and ran up a large tab with his group,” Brown said. "Unfortunately at the end, he was unable to pay his tab.

The incident happened last Saturday night, Cinco de Mayo.

Another customer, said to be just a witness, shot the phone video of the guy that starts with two doormen pinning the patron to the floor.

About a minute in another man approaches, and it looks like he is trying to put something on the customer’s hands. The next thing you see is bouncer unloading, punching the man over and over.

When the blows started flying the person recording the event moved in closer. You can then hear the customer saying, “Let me pay the tab."

He asks over and over to pay the tab while the security guys continue to hold him down.

Shortly after that a woman, who the manager believes is the patron’s girlfriend, jumps in telling the bouncers to get off of him.

Eventually they do let him up, and the woman calls them out for the beating they just dealt him.

The customer is pressing charges against the security guys.

Uptown’s manager said he believes the use of force was appropriate because the guy kept resisting.

“They were afraid for their physical well-being, and they took matters necessary that they felt necessary to protect themselves,” said Brown.

He also said they are pressing charges too, because not only did the customer walk out on his tab, the manager said he had already been banned from the bar.

“He’s had a violent tendency in the past here,” Brown said. "We have filed criminal trespass charges against him, and the police are investigating that part of it as well

The manager said the guy tried to escape out the back to avoid paying his tab. When the security guys caught up to him, the manager says he lunged at them.

Brown said the bar has its own video caught on the security cameras, but that footage was turned over to police.

KRQE News 13 tried to contact the customer in the video, but he has not responded.

“The gentleman in question came in and ran up a large tab with his group unfortunately at the end, he was unable to pay his tab,” Brown said.

It happened last Saturday, Cinco De Mayo.

Another customer took the cell phone video of the guy the manager’s talking about.

In the video you can see two doormen holding the man down.

About a minute in another guy approaches and it looks like he is trying to put something on the customer’s hands, the next thing you see is bouncer unloading, punching the man over and over.

When the blows started flying the person recording the whole thing moves closer and you can hear the customer saying, “let me pay the tab."

He asks over and over to pay the tab while the security guys continue to hold him down.

Shortly after that a woman, who the manager believes is the guy’s girlfriend, jumps in telling the bouncers to get off of him.

Eventually they do let him up and the woman calls them out for the beating they just dealt him.

The customer is pressing charges against the security guys.

Uptown’s manager said he believes the use of force was appropriate because the guy kept resisting.

“They were afraid for their physical well being and they took matters necessary that they felt necessary to protect themselves,” said Brown.

He also said they are pressing charges too, because not only did the customer walk out on his tab the manager says he had already been banned from the bar.
“He’s had a violent tendency in the past here, we have filed criminal trespass charges against him and the police are investigating that part of it as well,” Brown said.

The manager said the guy tried to escape out the back to avoid paying his tab when the security guys caught up to him the manager says he lunged at them.

Brown said all that was caught on the bar's security cameras but that footage was turned over to police.

News 13 tried to contact the customer in the video but he never got back to us.