The owners of an Aliquippa VFW club are accused of negligence after an employee allegedly failed to protect one of its members from being brutally beaten inside the club earlier this year.
Personal injury and civil rights attorney Todd Hollis recently filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of Aliquippa resident Preston Coleman III against the Veterans Home Association of Aliquippa, which owns and operates VFW Post 3577 along Penn Avenue.
Coleman, 53, was nearly killed as a result of what police said was an unprovoked assault Jan. 5.
The lawsuit claims bartender Ireland Brown failed to call 911, and instead watched as Brett Ours, and then her father, Ronald Brown, inflicted pain on Coleman, the lodge member.
Coleman was reportedly punched about 250 times and was kicked about 50 times.
The attack left Coleman with head injuries, brain swelling and bleeding, major fractures in his face and at least three broken ribs.
Ours allegedly asked his girlfriend at one point to give him his knife, footage showed, according to the complaint. She refused. So, Ours started yelling at her, then punched her in the face.
Ours returned to Coleman, bludgeoning him with a bar stool and repeatedly strangling him, the complaint said. He sat on Coleman’s chest and punched him repeatedly in the face and head, according to police.
He was flown to UPMC Presbyterian hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. Doctors performed a tracheotomy to enable him to breath.
“VHA had a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect Coleman and other VFW customers from the intentionally harmful acts of third persons,” the lawsuit states.
“VHA breached this duty of care by failing to call 91 or the police immediately after Ours began attacking Coleman. Instead of calling 911, (Ireland) Brown watched the brutal attack for 30 minutes and did nothing.”
The plaintiff seeks more than $35,000 in damages.
Hollis, reached Tuesday evening, declined to comment beyond what was in the court documents.
Arrests made
Ours, 39, of Aliquippa is charged with attempted murder, possession of instruments of a crime, three counts of simple assault, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of strangulation in connection with the incident.
He was apprehended Feb. 6 along the 400 block of Allegheny Avenue in West Aliquippa.
The arrest resulted from the combined efforts of multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. led by the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force.
His preliminary hearing before District Judge Felicia Santillan was continued to April 10, according to online court documents.
Ronald Brown, 44, of Ambridge, turned himself in to Aliquippa police and a district judge Jan. 9.
He is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and liability for the conduct of another person.
Online court documents show Ronald Brown waived his preliminary hearing and a trial is scheduled for May 5. Brown was released from jail after posting $100,000 bail, court documents show.
Ours was denied bail and remains in the Beaver County Jail.
Ireland Brown, 21, of Ambridge turned herself in to police on Monday, Feb. 24.
She is charged with aggravated assault, hindering apprehension/prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and liability for the conduct of another person.
She was released from jail after posting $125,000 bond. Her preliminary hearing is set for March 6.