Nova ScotiaA former Halifax Alehouse bouncer accused of putting a patron in a chokehold that led to his death nearly three years ago told the bar co-owner moments after the incident that he’d been attacked and claimed he threw his hands in the air when the man stopped resisting, according to testimony.Alex Levy on trial for manslaughter, accused of putting patron in chokeholdTrial of former Halifax Alehouse bouncer underwayAlexander Levy is charged with manslaughter in the 2022 death of Ryan Sawyer. Richard Cuthbertson has the story. This story contains video footage that shows disturbing moments. A former Halifax Alehouse bouncer accused of putting a patron in a chokehold that led to his death nearly three years ago told the bar co-owner moments after the incident that he’d been attacked and claimed he threw his hands in the air when the man stopped resisting.That was testimony Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax from Michel Khoury, who co-owned the bar with his brother, Marcel, although he acknowledged in cross-examination his memory of parts of the brief conversation could be inaccurate.Alex Levy, 40, is on trial for criminal negligence causing death and manslaughter in the death of Ryan Sawyer, 31, following what began as a scuffle outside the downtown bar around 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2022.The court has heard Sawyer and his twin brother, Kyle Sawyer, were escorted from the Alehouse following a commotion inside. Outside, video surveillance footage shows Kyle Sawyer shoved Levy, who was standing at the door, and bouncers immediately grabbed the pair.Michel Khoury, left, and his brother Marcel Khoury wait to testify Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. (Richard Cuthbertson/CBC)Michel Khoury testified he was working in his office in an adjacent bar he owned when the general manager called and told him he should head around the corner to the Alehouse. He said he saw police and asked Levy what happened.“Alex looked at me and said, ‘I didn’t do anything. I didn’t sign up for this. They jumped me,’” Khoury told the court, testifying that Levy said two or three times that he’d been attacked.He said Levy told him he’d been wrestling with the men and that one threw up or spit on him, and “then as soon as he stopped resisting, I let go, threw my arms up.” Khoury testified he believes Levy used the word “limp” to describe the man.What Levy allegedly told the Alehouse co-owner was contradicted earlier this week by one of the first Halifax police officers on scene.Former Alehouse bouncer Alex Levy is shown Wednesday at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. (Craig Paisley/CBC)Const. Jairus Lamphier testified he demanded several times that Levy release his chokehold, but had to grab his arm before he let go. He said Sawyer was limp, his eyes rolled back and his lips were blue.Dr. Erik Mont, Nova Scotia’s deputy chief medical examiner, testified this week that Sawyer’s heart stopped due to the altercation and neck restraint, and he died due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.Levy wasn’t just a bouncer at the Alehouse, he’d been head of security for at least six months, according to testimony. Two other bouncers who testified at trial said he had given in-house training on one occasion.The question of training and the oversight of bouncers more generally in Nova Scotia has been a key concern for Sawyer’s family, who have been critical of the decision not to proclaim into law a bill passed in 2010 that would regulate bar security staff. Earlier this month, Sawyer’s mother, Lee Sawyer, told a legislative committee that regulations would “raise standards and weed out unqualified labour,” and worried changes introduced this fall by the Progressive Conservative government weren’t strong enough.Ryan Sawyer, 31, died following an altercation outside the Halifax Alehouse bar on Dec. 24, 2022. (Dignity Memorial)On Thursday, the Khoury brothers were both questioned in court about training for security staff at the Alehouse, but neither offered a detailed account.They said while a previous general manager, who left in 2013, had done some training, they never attended and were unsure if he ever provided sessions to staff on use of force.Marcel Khoury said Levy did not want to return to work after Sawyer’s death and was eventually laid off. The brothers sold the Alehouse property last year.The trial continues Tuesday.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORRichard Cuthbertson is a journalist with CBC Nova Scotia. He can be reached at richard.cuthbertson@cbc.ca.
Bouncer trial hears from co-owners of Halifax Alehouse
