Former Halifax Alehouse bouncer found guilty in 2022 death

Nova ScotiaA 40-year-old former bouncer has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a patron outside the Halifax Alehouse bar nearly three years ago.Alexander Levy, who was head of security at the bar, put Ryan Sawyer in chokehold that led to his deathListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Alexander Levy, who was head of security at the bar, put Ryan Sawyer in a chokehold that led to his death. (Dave Laughlin/CBC)A 40-year-old former bouncer has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a patron outside the Halifax Alehouse bar nearly three years ago.Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice James Chipman handed down his decision this morning in the case of Alexander Levy, who was charged in the Dec. 24, 2022, death of Ryan Sawyer, 31.During the closing submissions at trial last month, the prosecution argued Levy, who was the head of security at the Alehouse at the time, put Sawyer in a chokehold, “throttling” his neck in a way that led to his death.The defence argued Levy had put dozens of people in chokeholds during his career in bar security and viewed it as a safe technique. The death, the defence said, was not foreseeable, and Levy was acting in self-defence.Chipman said in his decision that he did not believe Levy’s testimony that Sawyer was a threat after he was brought to the ground, or that the chokehold was squeezed on his neck for just 10 to 15 seconds. The judge said the hold was applied for much longer, about two minutes.The court heard during the trial that Sawyer and his twin brother, Kyle, were escorted from the Alehouse following an altercation inside. Outside, Kyle Sawyer shoved Levy and a scuffle involving the two brothers and a number of bouncers broke out.The evidence at trial included surveillance footage as well as videos shot by bystanders. None of the footage captured the entire incident.Chipman also found Levy guilty of criminal negligence causing death.Levy will be sentenced on April 24, 2026.The Alehouse bar closed in 2024.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORRichard Cuthbertson is a journalist with CBC Nova Scotia. He can be reached at richard.cuthbertson@cbc.ca.