By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
Police arrested a Cedar City man Friday night after a violent bar fight that left one man unconscious and the bar owner injured.
Kevin Wayne Andrews, 51, faces a second-degree felony count of aggravated assault after officers say he punched a man “knocking him to the ground” and causing him to lose consciousness.
Andrews also faces two additional felony charges — assault by a prisoner and burglary — along with several misdemeanor counts for assault, assault on two officers, violating a protective order, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, interfering with officers, and possession of marijuana.
According to court documents, Cedar City police were dispatched to the Blackbird Bar on West Hoover Drive around 8:45 p.m. after callers reported a disorderly bar fight.
When they arrived, officers found Andrews yelling and resisting as they attempted to detain him.
“Kevin resisted officers,” the affidavit stated, adding that they had to use “soft empty hand” techniques to force him onto the ground before placing him in handcuffs and securing him in a patrol car.
Soft empty hand refers to basic hands-on control techniques, such as guiding or holding a resisting person to the ground without using strikes or weapons.
Witness statements described a chaotic scene.
A patron told officers he saw Andrews and the bar owner in a fight and stepped in to help. He said Andrews punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Officers later noted the man had a bloody nose and mouth and a swollen eye.
The bar owner told police Andrews had been disrespectful and refused to leave when asked. He said Andrews punched him in the head several times, and during the struggle, he saw a patron get knocked out.
Officers reported the owner also had a bloody mouth. Surveillance footage confirmed what witnesses described, showing Andrews punching the owner near the pool tables and continuing the assault as they moved farther into the bar.
The footage then shows the patron stepping in and wrapping his arms around Andrews before Andrews “breaks free” and punches the victim, knocking him unconscious. Blood was found on the floor near the pool tables and inside the bathroom.
While police were at the bar, Andrews’ wife reported that he had walked up and tapped her on the shoulder, even though a protective order barred him from contacting her.
After Andrews was placed in a patrol car, officers took him out again to search him and get his friend’s car keys. As they did, he began yelling and resisting, and kicked one of the officers in the groin, according to the affidavit. Officers said they found a THC vape pen in his pocket, and Andrews could not provide a medical card, telling them it “is from the VA.”
Police took him to Cedar City Hospital for medical clearance before transporting him to the Iron County Jail. During the drive, Andrews threatened the officers, saying they “better not see him on the street” or he would take their firearms and shoot them. He also complained that he “was not able to finish his beer.”
At the jail, Andrews continued to resist and tried to fight with officers as they booked him in, the affidavit states. Staff stepped in to help, giving him several commands that he refused to follow.
Andrews was booked into the Iron County Jail early Saturday morning.