VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Two men charged in connection with a deadly bar fight at Coastal Cafe March 1 were granted bond.
On Tuesday, John Round III, 60, was granted a $5,000 bond on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jamie Bills, 51. Round was there with a friend who has died since the incident. Bills was there with his friend Sridahran Sangaran, and they were Coastal regulars.
The following day, Sangaran was also granted a $5,000 bond but restricted from drinking alcohol or visiting bars.
Round’s attorney Richard Doummar told the court and WAVY Tuesday that Bills and Sangaran struck Round and his friend with beer bottles, and they were “trying to stop [Bills] from fighting.” He added that Round and his friend had head and defensive wounds.
But Sangaran’s attorney, Andrew Sacks, paints a different picture.
“The other two men were sitting on Mr. Bills, one sitting on his head, suffocating him, in a headlock, the other sitting on his knees or his legs to keep him from getting up,” Sacks said.
The commonwealth’s attorney in the case said Sangaran escalated what had started as a verbal confrontation over bumping elbows into a physical brawl. They also said witnesses purported that Sangaran told people on the scene he had a gun.
Officers arrived to the bar around 8:45 p.m. and found Bills unresponsive. He was then taken to a local hospital, where he died.
Doummar said the death of Bills was unforeseen and unintentional.
Sacks said Sangaran and Bills acted in self-defense.
“[Sangaran] was assisting [Bills] in defending himself,” Sacks said. “They did what they needed to do to try to protect themselves. Unfortunately, the other two men got the better of it because Mr. Bills was killed.”
Four people testified in support of Sangaran’s release, including his daughter and girlfriend who described him as a generous, loving father who gets along with everybody. A coworker added that he’s sought after in the workplace for his deep knowledge.
Round was charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault and battery. Sangaran was charged with malicious wounding, attempted malicious wounding and two counts of assault and battery. Sangaran will have his bond hearing Wednesday morning.
The owner of Coastal Cafe, Barrie Engel, closed down the restaurant’s doors in March following the deadly incident.