Dec 26, 2006 4:34 pm US/Central
Charges Filed In Blaine Bouncer's Murder
Anoka, Minn. (AP) ―
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Malachi Andrews, 34, is facing the charges after allegedly stabbing bouncer Greg Klaers at the Time Out Sports Bar and Restaurant on Dec. 22.
CBS
A Golden Valley, Minn. man has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a bouncer at a bar in Blaine, Minn.
Malachi Andrews, 34, is facing the charges after allegedly stabbing bouncer Greg Klaers, 24, at the Time Out Sports Bar and Restaurant last Friday night.
Two other men also face felony assault charges in connection with the fight, in which a group of men on the dance floor apparently got into a fight over a woman. Police said Klaers tried to break it up around closing time Friday morning.
This case has city leaders taking a second look at the rules for businesses that serve alcohol.
"There's a lot of things Blaine should be known for, that's not one of them," said Blaine City Council member Dave Clark, who added the stabbing has weighed heavily on his mind, and he wonders if changes are needed.
Coincidentally, the council had approved the yearly renewal for Time Out's liquor license Thursday night, just hours before the deadly stabbing happened early Friday morning.
"If you're going to pull a permit you need to have a specific reason to do so and it's got to be justifiable legally. At that point in time when we approved it Thursday night we didn't have any reason to pull that permit," said Clark.
The city council will take a closer look, possibly reconsider the 2 a.m. bar closing time, the ratio of alcohol to food sales and also consider banning glass bottles, which were reportedly used as weapons in Friday's brawl.
According to the criminal complaint, it was a chaotic scene with two fights: one near the bar, the other on the dance floor. Four people were hurt. The most seriously injured was bouncer Klaers, who sustained a stab wound near his stomach.
The complaint said that Andrews fled but was caught. Officers found a large folding-style knife behind the bar. Bail was set at a half a million dollars during a court appearance in Anoka County District Court Tuesday morning.
In addition to Andrews, Charles Andrews and Johnny Hunter also face assault charges.
The bouncer's brother Andy Klaers happened to be there because he was going to give him a ride home after work.
"The next thing I saw was my brother bleeding and hitting the ground," he said, adding he hopes for justice in the case. "These people need to pay who did this. They need to rot."
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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