Burnsville Man Charged with Beating Victim in Apple Valley Bar

A Burnsville man has been charged with assault after police say he beat a man unconscious in an Apple Valley bar last month.

Brandon James Fraher, 26, is charged with third-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Apple Valley police were called to a bar just before 11:30 p.m. Aug. 18 and found the victim lying on the ground, with security personnel trying to restrain Fraher. 

Police handcuffed Fraher – whom they described as “very agitated,” screaming and fighting with officers – and put him in the back of a squad car.

The victim had cuts on his head and face and a swollen right eye and was semi-conscious, according to the complaint. He told police he couldn’t remember what had happened to him, but a number of witnesses told officers that Fraher jumped the victim and assaulted him without warning.

Witnesses said a woman was trying to flirt with the victim in the bar, and he rebuffed her advances. The woman admitted to police that the assault might have been her fault, because she told friends – including Fraher – that the victim had “insulted” her.

Another man told police that Fraher had punched him in the back of the head before assaulting the victim. Other witnesses said Fraher continued to beat the victim while he was lying unconscious on the ground, and the victim’s friends had to pull Fraher off of him.