Seven men, including six employees, have been indicted for the death of a man at Dierks Bentley’s Nashville bar, Whiskey Row.
The charges were announced late this week following the August death of 22-year old Dallas Barrett at the lower Broadway bar.
Police said back in August that Barrett became unruly and had to be restrained by security at the rooftop bar. When police arrived, Barrett was found unresponsive and transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner later ruled Barrett’s death a homicide and said that he died from asphyxia.
And now, seven men are facing charges after having been indicted by a grand jury on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated assault causing death.
Six of the men were employees of Whiskey Row, including; Dylan Thomas Larocca; John D. Eustace; Mark Ryan Watkins; Mallet Daquan Meneese; Jaelen Alexander Maxwell; and Tarrell K. Gray.
44-year old Steven John Simon, who was not an employee of the bar, was also arrested after police allege that he helped bouncers hold down Barrett’s legs during the altercation.
Larocca and Simon both surrendered yesterday, but the other five have not yet been taken into custody. A judge set bond for all seven defendants at $25,000.
Whiskey Row released a statement after Barrett’s death was ruled a homicide, claiming that an employee had requested assistance from a Metro Nashville police officer who was standing outside of the bar, but that officer told the employee to call 911 instead. The bar has since filed a complaint against the Metro Nashville Police Department.
But an investigation by the MNPD’s Office of Professional Accountability found that officers acted “quickly and professionally,” responding to the altercation within two minutes of being notified and finding Whiskey Row security pinning Barrett face down on the ground while a customer held down his feet.
Officers then administered CPR to Barrett until medics arrived to transport him to the hospital.
Surveillance video of the incident was also reviewed during the investigation, some of which has also been released to the public.
