Nova ScotiaProsecutor argues bouncer Alexander Levy was angry, ready to fight when he put Ryan Sawyer in chokehold.Prosecutor argues bouncer Alexander Levy was angry, ready to fight when he put Ryan Sawyer in chokeholdFormer Alehouse bouncer accused in patron’s death testifiesAlexander Levy is accused of using a chokehold on Ryan Sawyer that led to the 31-year-old’s death on Christmas Eve in 2022. Blair Rhodes has the story. Halifax Alehouse bouncer Alexander Levy was angry, his “fuse was lit” and he was ready to fight in the moments before he put a patron who had just been kicked out the downtown bar in a chokehold, “throttling” his neck in a way that ultimately led to the man’s death.That was one of the arguments put forward by a prosecutor Monday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court during closing submissions in Levy’s trial for manslaughter, calling the death of Ryan Sawyer on Dec. 24, 2022, a “completely avoidable tragedy.”“Thirty-one-year-old Ryan Sawyer lost his life due to, in the Crown’s submission, the overzealous, disproportionate and violent actions of Alex Levy,” prosecutor Rob Kennedy told Justice James Chipman.The court heard during trial that Sawyer and his twin brother, Kyle, were escorted from the Alehouse following an altercation inside. Testimony has suggested that on his way out, Kyle Sawyer was angry and threatening toward Levy, who had told the pair to leave.Outside the bar, on Prince Street, Kyle Sawyer is shown on video surveillance gesturing toward the door where Levy is standing. Ryan Sawyer approaches Levy, who is then shoved by Kyle Sawyer. Bouncers grab both brothers and a scuffle begins.The defence argued Monday that Levy was acting in self-defence in the death of Ryan Sawyer. WATCH | Video evidence at Alehouse trial:Trial 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. Levy testified last week that he first grappled with Kyle Sawyer, before another bouncer pinned the man to the ground.Levy returned to the door for a few moments and then said he went to help another bouncer who was struggling with Ryan Sawyer. He said he worried the other bouncer was losing control and that patrons waiting in line might be injured as the two banged into a railing.What happened during the next two minutes is captured in bits and pieces from short videos shot by bystanders, but much of it happens outside the view of the security camera at the Alehouse.Levy testified he was on Ryan Sawyer’s back, “riding him like a bull,” before they went to the ground. He said he was behind Sawyer, who was trying to punch and reach back to claw at his face, and he put him in a chokehold.Defence lawyer James Giacomantonio noted Levy testified he only exerted pressure on the neck for between 10 and 15 seconds, and then relaxed the pressure while keeping his arm in place.He said Levy testified he’d put close to a hundred people in chokeholds during his career in bar security, and viewed it as a safe technique he had “deployed with great success” to put people to “sleep.” It was better, Levy had said, than punching, which could lead to injury.The court heard evidence that Sawyer’s heart stopped as a result of the chokehold and he died due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. Giacomantonio said two experts who testified said the “foreseeability” was low that bodily harm would be caused by a 10- to 15-second restraint of this nature.“It’s our submission that the tragic death of Ryan Sawyer was not a foreseeable outcome on these facts and on this record,” he said. “It was a lightning strike, it’s a heart attack while you’re shovelling the driveway.”Kennedy, however, argued Ryan Sawyer never assaulted or threatened Levy, or anyone else, and said he was simply trying to protect his brother during the initial scuffle and subsequent struggle.Sawyer’s obituary says he was born in Markham, Ont., and attended Dalhousie University in Halifax to study business management, before moving back to Ontario to work with Nissan Canada. (Dignity Memorial)It’s clear that sustained pressure on a neck is dangerous, Kennedy said, and various police forces in Canada have banned chokeholds.Levy had other options, Kennedy said. He could have retreated, tried to de-escalate the situation, used a less harmful restraint or asked for help from other bouncers.The prosecutor described Levy’s testimony at trial as “self-serving, convenient and exaggerated,” and argued the chokehold was placed on Ryan Sawyer for far longer than 10 to 15 seconds — for as much as two minutes. He noted the testimony of Halifax Regional Police Const. Jairus Lamphier, who told the court that when he arrived on scene, Sawyer was purple in the face and his eyes were rolled back. He said he demanded several times for Levy to let the chokehold go and then had to grab his arm.Kennedy also pointed to a video that shows Levy kicking and punching Kyle Sawyer after the shove at the door. Kyle Sawyer has his hands over his face, and his tuque has dropped over his eyes. At one point, Levy picks Kyle Sawyer’s jacket off the sidewalk and throws it into the street.“What started as a rather minor physical altercation escalated very quickly, primarily due to the disproportionate response from Alex Levy ” Kennedy said.“When we step back and look at this from 30,000 feet and consider the relative gravity of the initial interaction at the door, a mere shove could have been de-escalated without the resort to serious violence, which is what Alex Levy initiated.”Chipman will issue his decision on Nov. 26.MORE TOP STORIES
Bouncer’s lawyer argues self-defence as closing submissions heard in Alehouse death trial
