Five security staff members were arrested after California police accused them of removing a sober patron from a bar and beating him on the sidewalk following an argument.
The men, one from Rohnert Park man and four from Santa Rosa, each face a battery charge, Petaluma Police said in an April 21 news release posted on Facebook.
Ten minutes before the incident, police said the 38-year-old Santa Rosa man met a group of friends at a Petaluma bar Saturday, April 20.
The man told police he had ordered a drink and “took a sip” but was sober, which police confirmed with a sobriety test.
As he was washing his hands in the restroom, police said a woman walked in and went into a stall.
Security staff followed in shortly after, saying “she was not allowed to be in there,” police said.
The man argued with them about their decision, and staff told him “he needed to leave the bar,” police said.
However, police said the man continued to argue with them as they “began to physically remove him.”
While staff was taking the man from the bar, police said, they “repeatedly struck” him and “forced him to the ground.”
Staff continued to beat the man when they were outside the bar on the sidewalk in front of a neighboring business, police said.
A witness told police they saw one security guard hold the man “in a chokehold on the ground” while the others punched and kicked him in the head.
The man was left with “significant injuries including swelling and bruising on the left side of his head,” along with cuts and scrapes, according to police. Firefighters medically assessed the man, who was released on scene.
Police said they continue to investigate, which includes the search for video surveillance and additional witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 707-781-1262 or email ngood@cityofpetaluma.org.
Petaluma is about a 40-mile drive north from San Francisco.
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