On 01/01/2026 at 0046 hours, Brainerd officers were dispatched to SE'z Bar located at [ADDRESS REDACTED], city of Brainerd, Crow Wing County, regarding a report of a fight out in front of the bar. Information provided indicated that a male wearing a tan jacket and military style boots had attempted to start a fight and then started fighting with another male. Officers responded and upon arrival Kostreba observed the complainant, DW (fully identified in police reports), standing in the intersection of South 7th Street and Laurel Street waving Kostreba towards the front of the bar.
Kostreba made his way towards the bar entrance and observed two males on the ground with several people around them trying to separate them. As Kostreba was approaching the two males on the ground, Kostreba ordered the two males to break up the fight. One male began standing up and Kostreba grabbed that male, who was later identified as Isaiah Michael Sloan [DOB REDACTED]. Kostreba pushed Sloan back away from the other male, and told Sloan to sit on the ground and Sloan refused to comply. Kostreba then turned and told the other male, who was later identified as JTJ (fully identified in police reports), not to leave and to also sit on the ground.
JTJ complied and sat down. Sloan was argumentative with Kostreba and called Kostreba a "b****' several times. Kostreba then pushed Sloan backwards approximately one foot further until Sloan was against the outside wall of the building and ordered Sloan again to sit on the ground. It should be noted that Sloan was larger in size than Kostreba and clearly in an agitated state. Sloan also smelled slightly of alcohol. Sloan eventually sat down and Kostreba requested his identification. At that time, Sloan told Kostreba he did not want to reach for anything.
Kostreba asked Sloan if he did not want to reach for anything because he had a gun on his person, and Sloan initially denied having a gun, but then alluded to possibly having a gun on his person. Kostreba immediately told Sloan to place his hands behind his back and Kostreba began handcuffing Sloan. Officer Engst, who had just arrived on scene at this time, assisted Kostreba and located a handgun in Sloan's front right jacket pocket. It should be noted that while Engst was removing the handgun from Sloan's jacket pocket, Kostreba heard JTJ state something to the effect of "he put that thing in my stomach in the bar". The firearm located in Sloan's jacket pocket was Taurus 9mm semi-automatic which had a loaded magazine and a bullet in the chamber.
Upon further investigation and questioning of the other subject involved in the fight, as well as several witnesses, officers learned that Sloan had attempted to pick fights with people outside of the bar prior to entering the bar. Witnesses stated that after Sloan entered the bar, he picked a fight with JTJ and witnesses observed Sloan remove the handgun from his jacket pocket and stick it into the abdomen of JTJ who he then fought outside of the bar. JTJ also corroborated that Sloan had picked a fight with him in the bar and Sloan removed a handgun from his jacket pocket, then put the gun into the other subject's abdomen.
