CINCINNATI — A man accused of choking another man to death in Over-the-Rhine is in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $1 million bond.
Judge Curt Kissinger set the bond Monday when 24-year-old Lavontez Davis appeared in court for the first time since his arrest on Saturday.
Taryn Brown with the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office had asked the judge for a high bond, saying Davis' "escalation of behavior is concerning."
"I don't believe anyone can be safe while he's on the streets," Brown said.
According to Cincinnati police, officers were dispatched to E. 14th Street at roughly 10:20 p.m. on Oct. 4 after multiple 911 calls were made. When they arrived, officers found the 48-year-old man suffering from injuries on the sidewalk, CPD said.
A person who claimed to have witnessed the alleged attack said they saw a woman and man walking as another woman drove the wrong way down 14th Street. The witness said the man and woman walking told the woman in the car that she was driving the wrong way.
The witness said the woman then got out of the car and began strangling the other woman. The witness said they saw another man come from down the street and, thinking the couple had hurt the woman in the car, began strangling the man.
Brown said Davis grabbed the man around the neck and choked him. A police report says Davis put the man in a headlock. The man was taken to UC Medical Center and later died from his injuries on Oct. 8. After he died, the coroner's office determined his death was a homicide.
"The defendant choked the victim during an interaction which occurred because the victim and someone he was with were trying to tell a woman driving that she was going down a one-way street the wrong way," Brown said.
Davis' defense attorney said he acted in self-defense of himself and his girlfriend, who is eight months pregnant. The defense attorney told the judge the victim had acted aggressively toward the two.
Alex Erb, general manager of nearby CityBird restaurant, said Davis came from down the street to pick food up at his restaurant as a DoorDash driver following the assault.
"I have actually reached out to my boss for concerns for my safety and the safety for the other employees that get off at 12 at night," Erb said.
Erb said Cincinnati police were still at the scene of the assault the morning of Oct. 5, and they are reviewing surveillance footage from the restaurant.
WCPO 9 originally made a records request about the incident on Oct. 8. On Saturday morning, Oct. 14, the CPD released a statement on the homicide, announcing Davis’ arrest.
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