NEW YORK – A nightclub employee accused of fighting with a 19-year-old patron who later died was charged with assault Saturday, the latest deadly case involving workers at city nightspots.
Witnesses told investigators the victim brandished a metal pipe and moved toward Francisco Solivan, 24, during the altercation outside Club Soma in Queens, prosecutors said.
Solivan admitted to punching Antonios Fasarakis one time during the fight, prosecutors said. Fasarakis was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to authorities, though they would not release a cause of death pending an autopsy.
Witnesses and investigators described Solivan as a bouncer, but prosecutors said he was not licensed by the state to work as a security guard.
A judge set bail at $7,500, according to Nicole Navas, a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Solivan's attorney, Ken Schreiber, declined to comment late Saturday until he reviewed his client's case.
The death comes amid heightened scrutiny of bouncers and their employers following two slayings authorities linked to guards at two Manhattan nightspots.
In one case, Darryl Littlejohn, 41, was charged in the rape and strangulation of a college student who was last seen alive in February at a Manhattan bar where Littlejohn worked as a bouncer. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
On Friday, Stephen Sakai, 30, was indicted on murder, attempted murder and other charges stemming from a shooting last month outside a Manhattan lounge where he worked as a bouncer. His lawyer said Sakai was innocent. Sakai was being held without bail.
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