Wednesday, May 22, 2013

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Victim in Rumrunner's Assault Case Speaks
Both corporation and bouncer charged with assault
By Corey Allen-Young


ANCHORAGE - The popular downtown bar Rumrunner’s is under some heat.

Anchorage police are charging one of its bouncers and the corporation that owns the bar in the assault of a man last October.

It’s one of the rare cases where an employee and the company are both being charged.

Anchorage police say 26-year-old Johnny Brown was assaulted by Rumrunner’s bouncer Murville Lampkin, and AB&M Enterprises, Incorporated, which owns Rumrunners, played a part by trying to hide the fact it happened.

It’s an October night Johnny Brown will never forget. An altercation turned ugly when Anchorage police say the 39-year-old Lampkin physically assaulted Brown. “I got multiple facial fractures, skull fractures, a broken orbital, and eight stitches in the left eye,” said Brown. “The eye tissue was sucked into my nose and they had to go in through my eye and pull the tissue out of my nose.”

APD says Brown's friend called them saying he was handcuffed and taken down into the basement by Rumrunner’s security and when he came back up he looked beaten.

“I'm just lucky to be alive,” said Brown. “Lampkin chokes me to the point where I can't breathe and I almost go unconscious. They wouldn't stop assaulting me until I agreed to not press charges.”

Now police say AB&M Enterprises, which owns Rumrunner’s, knew about the assault and may have participated in some of the issues. It faces charges of assault for Brown's injuries and tampering with the security camera.

"Our experts our saying that this videotape was tampered with,” said APD spokesperson Lieutenant Dave Parker. “So the actual physical assault on the victim in this case was not viewable, but before and afterwards, you could see what went on.”

They’re charges Rumrunner’s officials denied back in October after police executed a search warrant. “He basically elbowed and punched my bouncer and that's why he was detained,” said Rumrunner’s bar manager Mike Shomer in October 2011. “Obviously the video is just to prove we didn't do anything wrong.”

They’re charges they are still denying. “We believe something happened; we don't know what happened,” said Tom Amodio, who is Rumrunner’s attorney. Amodio says it’s completely wrong to bring charges to the corporation and give them negative publicity concerning Brown, who they've heard has caused trouble before.

“Its our understanding and we don't know this as a fact that the gentleman that the so called victim may have actually started something here or at some other bar,” said Amodio.

“When somebody is handcuffed behind their back… that's a little obsessive to hit somebody repeatedly right in the face,” said Brown.

Those are statements that are in the hands of the courts to determine what happened inside Rumrunner’s doors that night. When CBS 11 News tried to get a comment from Rumrunner’s officials, we were told they were going to sue all local media outlets for reporting the indictment and hurting their business.

If you know of anyone who has had a similar experience at Rumrunners, APD is asking you to contact Officer Jennifer Haywood at 786-8773.