Security Guard Charged in Fatal Assault Outside Saint Paul Bar
A man died after being struck by a bar employee outside a Saint Paul bar early Sunday, authorities say, with a security guard now charged with manslaughter.
Police said they were flagged down around 2:20 a.m. Oct. 5 near the Blues Saloon bar at 1638 Rice Street, where they found a 33-year-old man unconscious inside a red Ram truck with Wisconsin plates.
A woman with him told officers they had been on their first date. She said he became upset after other men hit on her inside the bar and was eventually removed by security. Outside, she said a security guard punched him, causing him to fall and hit his head. He lost consciousness and never regained it. Officers removed him from the truck, placed him on the ground and began CPR, noting he had only a faint pulse and shallow breathing as medics prepared him for transport to Regions Hospital.
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The woman told police that after he collapsed, staff advised her to pour water on the victim to revive him. Two men carried him to his truck, where he remained slumped until police arrived.
A staff member identified 28-year-old Jose Eucario Conejo Marquez, of North St. Paul, as the employee who punched the man. Officers reviewed surveillance footage, which they said showed Marquez stepping between the man and the woman, punching the man in the head, shoving him further into the lot, swinging again and missing, then landing another punch that caused him to fall to the ground.
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Another security guard told investigators the man and the woman had been highly intoxicated and were fighting inside the bar. When they were forced out the back door, the man resisted and tried to reenter. The guard attempted to use pepper spray, but it malfunctioned and had little effect. The guard said Marquez followed the couple into the parking lot and threw multiple punches before the man fell and hit his head. He added that no one else struck the man after that.
Police arrested Marquez inside the bar. He was advised of his rights in Spanish and later spoke with officers through an interpreter. Marquez admitted to punching the man twice, saying he was frustrated by his earlier behavior inside the bar and his aggression toward the woman outside. He said one punch missed but the other landed, though he could not recall where.
Doctors at Regions Hospital diagnosed the victim with what they described as a devastating brain bleed and he died of his injuries the evening of Oct. 6.
Court records show Marquez was set to make his first appearance Tuesday morning. He’s charged with first-degree manslaughter while committing a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Authorities have not yet released the victim’s name.
