A bouncer from a now-closed Downtown Anchorage bar appeared in court with its owners Monday, in a trial related to employees’ allegedly excessive use of force against a man more than two years ago.
The prosecution opened its case against Murville L. Lampkin and Rumrunner’s Old Towne Bar and Grill owners AB&M, Inc. by showing a facial photo of Johnny Brown’s bloodied features. Surveillance video from the incident at about 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2011 was also played in the courtroom Monday.
The first witness to take the stand, former Rumrunner’s security officer Ian Lamp, worked at the bar for about two years prior to Brown’s beating. He said he saw Brown -- then 26 -- get punched in the face by Lampkin while in handcuffs.
“I don't agree with hitting people that are handcuffed and helpless,” Lamp said.
Lampkin’s defense attorney, Lars Johnson, calls his client the fall guy for what happened.
“My client was doing his job,” Johnson said.
Anchorage police announced second-degree assault charges against both Lampkin and AB&M, Inc. in April 2012. APD found signs that Brown had been assaulted, following reports from Brown’s friends that they feared for his safety after seeing bouncers handcuff him and take him to a downstairs room of the bar.
Under Alaska law, a corporation can be charged with crimes allegedly committed by its employees, with penalties of up to $2.5 million per conviction and additional court-imposed probationary terms. In the Rumrunner’s case, AB&M also stands accused of tampering with physical evidence and two counts of falsifying business records, for allegedly deleting digital video of the assault as well as keeping records which contain discrepancies.
A video played in court Monday showing Brown being escorted while handcuffed into the bar’s basement goes to black for about four seconds, then resumes before going black again for another short period of time.
Prosecutor James Fayette says managers at Rumrunner’s made a “clumsy attempt to doctor their own security video.” The defense calls the blackouts, which occur multiple times in the 15-minute clip shown in court Monday, an equipment malfunction.
Rumrunner’s abruptly closed in December 2012, following debate by the Anchorage Assembly over whether to confiscate its liquor license. The Assembly ultimately allowed the license to be resold, but altered its permitted balance of business from an equal split between food and alcohol to a 75-25 split in favor of food; any new establishment using it must also close by midnight.
The bar’s location, at 415 E St. near E’s intersection with 4th Avenue, was briefly reopened as the Bear Paw Restaurant before closing again. It is now set to open this spring as Anchorage’s first Hard Rock Café franchise.
Channel 2’s Mallory Peebles contributed information to this story.
This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.