St. Paul security guard charged after punching bar customer who later dies

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A security guard at Blues Saloon in St. Paul is facing charges for allegedly punching an intoxicated customer who later died from his injuries. 

Blues Saloon fight charges

The backstory:

Jose Eucario Conejo Marquez, 28, of North St. Paul, was charged on Tuesday with one count of first-degree manslaughter in connection with the weekend incident.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman flagged down St. Paul police at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday to get help for a man who had been unconscious after being struck in the head by a security guard at the Blues Saloon. The man, identified by police as 33-year-old Melvin A. Martinez Altamirano, was slumped over in the truck, had a small amount of blood coming from his nose, and appeared to not be breathing. 

The woman told police she was on a first date with Altamirano, but he got jealous, and ultimately they got kicked out of the bar because he was upset and they fought. Investigators say the incident was caught on surveillance footage, showing the woman and Altamirano walking to the parking lot, when Marquez reportedly stepped in between them and appeared to punch Altamirano before he fell to the ground. 

The complaint states a security guard told police that the woman and Altamirano were highly intoxicated and fighting inside the bar. When they were asked to leave, Altamirano allegedly resisted and acted aggressively toward security. They went outside the back door, and Altamirano tried to force his way back in. The security guard deployed pepper spray, which didn’t work. The security guard and Marquez followed the woman and Altamirano out to the parking lot, where a fight ensued. 

Security guard arrested

The other side:

Charges state Marquez reportedly told police he was alerted by acquaintances and bar patrons that Altamirano needed to be taken outside because he was fighting with the woman. Marquez described the customer as drunk and being belligerent. 

Once they got outside, Altamirano reportedly pointed his finger at the woman and blamed her for getting them kicked out. Marquez claimed he was frustrated with Altamirano for fighting and being verbally aggressive with the woman in front of him. Marquez claimed after he hit Altamirano and saw him on the ground, the other security guards told him to go back inside, according to the complaint. 

Altamirano was taken to a hospital with a "devastating brain bleed" and ultimately died from his injuries on Monday night.

Marquez was arrested on Sunday night and remains in custody at Ramsey County Jail.