Baltimore security guard receives 5-year prison sentence in assault case
BALTIMORE, MD March 3rd, 2026 The security guard charged with assault after a viral video captured him choking a man outside of a bar in Federal Hill has been sentenced to nine years of incarceration, suspending all but five months.
Kevin Weaver, 41, pled guilty to first degree assault charges. He also received three years of probation and mandated anger management therapy as part of his sentence.
He had turned himself into police after a video went viral of Weaver putting another man into a chokehold and slamming him into a car window outside of Cross Street Public House in September 2025.
According to charging documents, the victim told police Weaver pushed him while he was being escorted out of the bar and Weaver placed him in a chokehold shortly after he asked not to be touched.
The statement of charges detailed the victim was placed in a chokehold for approximately 30 seconds.
Investigators said the victim told police he felt like he was going to die as he tapped on the arm of Weaver several times and Weaver told him “ain’t no tapping, you’re going to sleep.”
State’s Attorney Ivan Bates released the following statement on Weaver’s guilty plea:
This guilty plea holds defendant Kevin Weaver accountable for a violent and unacceptable abuse of authority. While we understand the challenges of working security in a crowded bar, those challenges never justify the use of excessive force. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and when someone oversteps that line and violates another person’s rights, there must be consequences. In this case, the defendant pleaded guilty to First-Degree Assault and was sentenced to nine years of incarceration, suspending all but five months, followed by three years of probation and required anger management therapy. The victim was pleased to put this entire ordeal behind them and move forward with their life. It is nothing short of a miracle that the victim was not permanently injured, and we hope this outcome reinforces that violence—especially by those entrusted with public safety—will not be tolerated.
