St. Paul man admits to throwing fatal punch outside East Side bar
A St. Paul man has admitted to punching a Coon Rapids man outside an East Side bar, causing him to hit his head on the ground and die.
Pheng Vang, 39, pleaded guilty on Monday in Ramsey County District Court to first-degree manslaughter for throwing a single punch that killed Peter Nguyen, 38, outside the Far East Bar & Restaurant in the Payne-Phalen area on March 23.
Vang reached an agreement with the prosecution that includes a 360-day sentence in the Ramsey County workhouse and 100 hours of community service. He remains free on $25,000 bond ahead of his May 12 sentencing.
Nguyen was found unresponsive on the sidewalk outside the bar at Arcade Street and Case Avenue just before 1 a.m. He died soon after at Regions Hospital of a closed-head injury.
According to the criminal complaint, a witness told police that Nguyen 'had some kind of issue with people who had been attending a birthday party at the bar' and was 'squaring up to fight' with a man outside.
Another man came up along the side of the man Nguyen was going to fight and struck Nguyen with his fist, causing Nguyen to fall to the ground.
Through additional witnesses and surveillance video, police identified the man who delivered the punch as Vang. In an interview with police, Vang said he was starting to leave the bar when 'an argument began to escalate' on the corner and he walked up to defuse the situation.
Nguyen reached down to pick up his shot glass and Vang punched him once, striking him in the shoulder and face, the complaint says.
Vang said he believed he was defending the man Nguyen was going to fight, who is a relative of his.
After Nguyen fell to the ground, Vang left the area.
Nguyen 'played a huge part in taking care of my mother, brother, and little sisters,' a brother of his wrote on a GoFundMe fundraiser for his funeral and to help the family.
He said Nguyen 'did his best and did everything he can to keep food on the table and roof over their heads.'
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