Article contentLevy said he then noticed that Ryan Sawyer was engaged in a scuffle with another bouncer just down the sidewalk. He said that when he tried to restrain Sawyer, they fell to the ground together, with Sawyer’s back on his chest.Article contentHe said he put his arm around Sawyer’s neck in a move known as a rear naked chokehold, but Sawyer kept attempting to punch and claw him in the face.Article contentLevy said he feared being overpowered and “pummelled into the ground,” so he felt he had to apply more pressure with the chokehold to put Sawyer to sleep.Article contentThe bouncer said he squeezed Sawyer’s neck for 10 to 15 seconds until he felt Sawyer pass out.Article contentLevy estimated he had used chokeholds on bar patrons close to a hundred times during his 16 years as a bouncer without ever seriously injuring anyone else.Article contentHe said that for most of the time he had Sawyer in the chokehold, he was not actually squeezing his neck.Article contentArticle content Defence lawyer James Giacomantonio leaves Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Wednesday during a break at former bar bouncer Alexander Pishori Levy’s trial on charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death. Photo by Steve BruceArticle content“Why did you continue to hold on to Mr. Sawyer after he stopped trying to punch you in the face?” Giacomantonio asked Levy.Article content“Because some people tended to wake up after a few seconds and then continue to struggle,” Levy said. “Some people, they forget what happened and they don’t do anything else, but I’ve had instances in the past where I’ve put a person to sleep, or I thought I did, and then I laid them down … and they woke up and started punching me in the face.”Article contentLevy insisted he did not squeeze Sawyer’s neck after he stopped trying to punch him.Article content“How long were you planning on holding him?” the defence lawyer said.Article content“Until somebody assisted me, realistically,” Levy replied. “I was waiting for the police. … I was hoping they would get there soon.Article content“But until somebody bent down and said, ‘Hey, let’s get this guy up,’ I was holding on until somebody else took over.”Article contentArticle content Rob Kennedy is one of two Crown attorneys prosecuting former Halifax Alehouse bouncer Alexander Pishori Levy on charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing the death of patron Ryan Sawyer in December 2022. Levy took the stand in his own defence Wednesday at his trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. Photo by Steve BruceArticle contentDuring cross-examination, Kennedy said Levy could have used other techniques to subdue the brothers or de-escalate the situation. The prosecutor asked why Levy didn’t get other bouncers to help him hold Ryan Sawyer on the ground until police arrived.Article contentLevy said he was not able to ask for help while he was in the middle of the altercation. He admitted that at some point while he was using the chokehold, he realized Sawyer was no longer an “immediate threat” to him.Article contentThe accused said he was winded after he got back on his feet.Article content“I suggest to you that you were out of breath because you were choking Ryan’s neck with force, with pressure,” Kennedy said. “That’s why you were so out of breath.Article content“No, I don’t believe I was out of breath from (that),” Levy said. “I believe it was from just the altercation in general.”Article content
Former Halifax Alehouse bouncer testifies in own defence at manslaughter, criminal negligence trial
