Victim Beat By Club Bouncer Speaks Out
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – One of the victims of a brutal beating caught on camera outside a Fort Lauderdale bar spoke first to CBS4 News Wednesday about his horrific ordeal.
Alexander Coelho is seen in video being kicked in the head outside the Dirty Blondes bar in early August.
Coelho told police that he was inside the bar and got into an argument with one of the bartenders. He said he asked to speak to a manager and that is when he said he was attacked outside.
"As soon as we stepped outside, in that 15 second clip that went viral, it started," explained Coelho to CBS4's Joan Murray.
It's the first time Coelho has talked publically about the cell phone captured beating outside Dirty Blondes on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Coelho said he never saw that first punch coming.
"I feel back, the girl fell back as well. Tables and chairs were falling. Punches kept coming on the floor, I started to get up the first time, he hit me back on the floor, smashing my eye, cut my ear open. I thought it was over, the gentleman stepped back, I didn't even see him step back and he came back with one more. I don't even know how someone would think of stomping someone in the head."
Coelho was arrested after he was beaten up by the bouncers but those criminal charges have been dropped.
Dirty Blondes fired three bouncers. One of them, Arnold Thomas-Darrah was arrested and charged with a felony for stomping on Coelho's head. Coelho has hired a civil attorney to pursue a civil case against the bar.
"Something like this just should not happen to a person who walks into a restaurant or bar on a beautiful afternoon decides to eat or have a drink, to have to deal with something like this, its something that will stay with you for some time," said attorney Chris Mijares.
