Leonard Hector Korpie, inset, faces a murder charge in the death of a bar manager who escorted him and other customers out of Jameson’s Pub in Santa Monica. (Mug shot from Santa Monica Police Department; Bar screenshot from KNBC/YouTube)
A California man is accused of landing a single punch that killed a Santa Monica bar manager who’d escorted him and another customers out of the establishment and who had tried to break up a fight that erupted outside.
Leonard Hector Korpie, 26, was charged with murder in the death of the bar manager, who police did not immediately identify. Korpie has pleaded not guilty.
In a news release, police said it happened on Tuesday at Jameson’s Pub. At 12:05 a.m., officers responded to a radio call about a battery at the bar in the 2700 block of Main Street.
A fight occurred on the street when Jameson’s manager asked several patrons to leave, officials said. One of the patrons punched the manager, causing him to lose consciousness. When the officers arrived, the manager was not breathing, authorities said. Police tried CPR until the Santa Monica Fire Department arrived and took over lifesaving measures. He died at a hospital.
“When they reached the sidewalk, there was an argument,” Santa Monica police Lt. Erika Aklufi told local CW affiliate KTLA. “A single punch was thrown. The victim likely hit his head on the way down to the ground, and it was those things that ended up leading to his death. This is one of those tragic examples of how when alcohol is involved in an incident, something that could be very minor ends up turning into a life-changing event that is affecting many lives.”
The three patrons involved in the incident were booked into the Santa Monica Jail. After an investigation, police identified Korpie as the suspect responsible for the punch, authorities said.
Regular patrons of the pub were shocked.
“It’s really sad to imagine someone was trying to break up a fight, which is above and beyond the role that they think they’re doing when they’re serving patrons at their bar, to be able to step in and do that, I think, is really great and then to be killed doing so it’s just a terrible tragedy,” one told reporters.
Other patrons said the place was not rowdy.
“I’ve been coming for years, and I’ve never seen a fight here,” another told local ABC affiliate KABC.
Another one told local NBC affiliate KNBC: “That is really unfortunate. I feel sorry for the guy and his family … killed him. That’s horrible.”
Another resident told the outlet, “It just kind of breaks your heart. I don’t understand all this violence. It’s just heartbreaking.”
One man remarked on the tragedy, telling the station that people like the victim are just trying to make a living and want to go home at the end of the day, just like everyone else.
“Whoever did it, he needs to pay for what he did now,” the man said, KNBC reported. “His life’s probably ruined, too. So that’s two lives.”
Korpie’s bail was set at $2 million bail. A preliminary hearing setting was set for July 17.
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