Syhavong faces assault charge

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WORTHINGTON — Less than a month after pleading guilty to fleeing a peace officer and in the midst of a pending case involving burglary and theft charges, Sonny Syhavong is now facing an assault charge.

Syhavong, 19, was charged recently with fifth-degree assault with priors, disorderly conduct and underage alcohol consumption in regard to an incident that took place Jan. 10 at the Long Branch Saloon.

According to the criminal complaint, an officer driving by the bar after midnight saw what appeared to be a security guard struggling with a man the officer recognized as Syhavong.

Syhavong allegedly took off running south on Second Avenue, then head west on 10th Street. The officer saw the security guard grab Syhavong’s shirt. The guard had blood on his mouth and was allegedly yelling, “Sonny hit me!”

The officer caught Syhavong in the main entrance of the bar with his shirt half off and red marks on his neck. After being arrested and transported to the law enforcement center, Syhavong was read his rights and agreed to speak.

He said he tried to go inside the Long Branch and the security guard pushed him outside and started hitting him. Syhavong claimed he did not hit the guard. He told the officer he ran because he was being hit, because he was drunk and because he saw the police and thought he was going to get in trouble. He said he thought it was his cousin who hit the guard.

He allegedly admitted to drinking four beers and two shots, and a preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of .097 percent.

When the officer went back to talk to the security guard, he learned that the man had been working the east side door on Second Avenue with another guard. That entrance, he said, is not accessible to the public, but Syhavong and his friend came up to the door and asked to be let in.

The guard allegedly said Syhavong “always pulls this” and is disrespectful to the Long Branch staff. When Syhavong called him an insulting name and punched him in the face, the guard claimed he just “snapped” and grabbed him by the shirt, hitting him in the back of the head several times.

Syhavong responded, the guard said, by hitting him on the head with a full beer bottle, which broke. When he saw the squad car, Syhavong took off running.

The witness was questioned, and showed the officer the broken bottle that had been part of the fight. It was still on the ground near the side door.

The witness said Syhavong and his friend tried getting in and became upset when they were denied entrance. Syhavong punched the security guard, the witness said, so he grabbed Syhavong’s friend and held on to him.

The witness said it was Syhavong’s friend who grabbed the beer bottle and hit the security guard on the head. He said he could not identify Syhavong’s friend and would not recognize him if he saw him again.

Syhavong has previous juvenile adjudications and convictions for assault and violating a harassment restraining order.

He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the burglary case involving a stolen Nintendo Wii and requested a two-day trial. He requested a speedy trial while in jail, so that case should come to the courtroom relatively soon.

His first appearance on the assault case is scheduled for Feb. 23. Syhavong is currently on probation.

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