St. Cloud bar bouncer arrested for injuring man he removed

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (KMSP) - A security officer working at the Press Bar in St. Cloud, Minnesota was arrested for assault over the weekend after allegedly putting an overly-intoxicated bar patron in a headlock and throwing him to the ground.

According to St. Cloud police, officers working the downtown area were flagged down by pedestrians at 1:48 a.m. Sunday regarding a man who was bleeding from the head. Officers found the 21-year-old male lying unconscious on the sidewalk outside the south doors to the Press Bar at 502 West St. Germain Street. An ambulance was called to assist with providing medical treatment.

Officers investigating the incident spoke to several witnesses and employees of the Press Bar. Based on those conversations, officers determined a security employee of the bar had been removing the injured man for being overly intoxicated and having a lit cigarette. The security employee had placed the victim in some type of headlock and, as he was bringing him out the doors, threw the man to the ground, causing the man to strike his head on the sidewalk. 

The security employee provided no medical attention and immediately returned inside the bar, police said.

The victim was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for what was eventually considered non-life-threatening injuries.

The security employee, identified as 20-year-old Patrick James McNeely of St. Cloud, was taken into custody and booked into the Stearns County Jail for third-degree assault. Prosecutors say no charges will be filed at this time.