July 23, 2009 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Antonio Planas
By ANTONIO PLANAS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
When Alexander Chacon struck Anthony Buchanan in the face last month in the lobby of the Santa Fe Station, Buchanan fell back and struck his head.
Chacon then jumped on top of an unconscious Buchanan, and struck him six more times, according to a police report.
Buchanan, 37, a father of four, died two days later from his injuries.
The district attorney’s office has declined to press charges against Chacon, saying Wednesday that although Buchanan was struck several times in the fight, only the first blow caused his death, a punch that was determined to be made in self-defense.
Chacon was initially arrested by Las Vegas police on a charge of battery with substantial bodily harm in the June 20 incident. But since Buchanan later died, county prosecutors were considering elevating the charges.
“It’s a tragedy on both sides,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent. “It’s just a terrible thing that happened.”
Laurent said footage of the incident provided to his office by Las Vegas police showed that Chacon’s actions were in self-defense. Laurent said his office almost immediately dropped the initial charge against Chacon, but further investigated the altercation.
Laurent said the decision not to increase the charge was made after a Clark County coroner’s report concluded that Chacon’s first punch caused Buchanan’s death. Laurent said the first punch resulted in Buchanan hitting his head on the ground, which caused his brain to swell, which shut down his breathing and caused a heart attack.
“It wasn’t any subsequent punches,” Laurent said.
He added that his office couldn’t prove Chacon knew Buchanan was unconscious after the first punch because the subsequent punches occurred so quickly.
“Our job is to decide if we can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Laurent said. “We didn’t feel we could combat the self-defense argument.”
Chacon could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
But Melissa Buchanan, the widow of Anthony Buchanan, said she was stunned the district attorney’s office won’t pursue charges. She said she finds it hard to believe that none of Chacon’s punches after the first contributed to her husband’s death.
She said she’s having a difficult time coping as a single mother. She and her late husband had three children together. Anthony Buchanan also had a 14-year-old child from another relationship, she said.
“I got three young children to take care of,” she said. “I’ve had no time to grieve because I’ve had to take care of them.”
Anthony Buchanan was a member of the U.S. Navy and completed Navy SEAL training as a teenager, his obituary said. He worked for Pepperidge Farms, his wife said.
Melissa Buchanan said it will be up to her attorney, Robert Eglet, whether to pursue a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Chacon. Eglet was already looking into security at the hotel-casino in the aftermath of the deadly fight.
Eglet could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
Buchanan and his wife were at the Santa Fe last month celebrating a co-worker’s birthday at the Stoney’s North Forty country bar, Eglet previously told the Review-Journal.
While Buchanan’s wife was in line for the bar’s mechanical bull ride, Chacon appeared to cut in line in front of her, according to the police report.
Buchanan, feeling his wife was slighted, according to the report, exchanged words with Chacon.
Chacon and Buchanan then exchanged words.
Later, Buchanan approached Chacon, “again wanting to fight,” the report states, but one of Buchanan’s friends pulled him away.
According to the report, the two men looked and pointed at each other in a threatening manner. Melissa Buchanan told police her husband consumed 10 beers that night, the report said.
About an hour after the initial confrontation, Buchanan left the bar and headed toward the valet entrance of the hotel.
Chacon, without knowing Buchanan left, headed toward the same entrance with friends. When Buchanan saw Chacon, words were exchanged again, according to the report.
The report states Buchanan headed toward Chacon and took what appeared to be two swings. Chacon deflected the punches and responded with a punch to Buchanan’s face and chin.
The additional blows came when “Buchanan could no longer defend himself,” the report states.
Buchanan suffered facial fractures, broken teeth and at least one heart attack from fluid in his lungs, the report said.
Buchanan’s widow today struggles with the circumstances that ended in her husband’s death.
“I’m a very quiet, non-confrontational person,” she said. “It was ridiculous the fact that those two went as far as they did.”
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
