A 45-year-old Atlanta man died after a 2:30 a.m. fight outside a downtown bar Sunday, Metro police said. No one has been charged; detectives will take findings to the DA.

A 45-year-old man from Atlanta died after a fight outside a bar on 2nd Avenue North early Sunday, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said. Homicide detectives are investigating. No one has been charged.

The department described what its investigation has found so far in a news release.

What police said happened

Police said the fight happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. According to the department:

  • the man’s girlfriend had an encounter inside the bar with a 37-year-old Nashville man while he was in the restroom
  • when he came out, the two men argued, and bar staff asked the whole group to leave
  • outside, a fight began between the two men
  • based on witness accounts, the Nashville man punched him and held him in a chokehold, which the Nashville man told police he did out of fear for his own safety

The girlfriend told police she saw the Atlanta man hit the other man several times in the chest while they were inside the bar. She said she tried to step in during the fight outside and was hurt by an unknown woman in the Nashville man’s group of friends.

The Atlanta man was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died.

What happens next

The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death, police said. Detectives will present their findings to the District Attorney’s Office, which decides whether anyone is charged.

We are not naming the people involved because no one has been charged.

What it means for you

This is an open investigation, and what police have released may change as it continues. If you were on 2nd Avenue North early Sunday and saw what happened, you can call Metro police at 615-862-8600, the department’s non-emergency line.

We will update this story if charges are filed or the medical examiner releases a cause of death. Our Police and Fire log lists other incidents from the department’s own releases. If you are named in our coverage and the outcome changes, see our correction and removal policy.