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The night of the University of Michigan / Ohio State football game, Taylor Lewan and friends went out to the Brown Jug Restaurant & Bar, arriving by taxi shortly after midnight. As they were arriving, Lewan’s party got into a “fight/argument” with a group of four Ohio State football fans. The particulars of the incident are in dispute.
The investigation on the night of the incident was conducted by Ann Arbor police officers Schimelfening and Reid. Officer Schimelfening closed the case after reporting that the victims could not positively identify who hit them and he could not find any witnesses to the assault [1]. Ryan Munsch later contacted the AAPD and insisted that he wanted to press charges. Detective Monroe re-opened the investigation.
Who’s who in the police reports?
Members of Taylor Lewan’s group who arrived in the taxi
· Taylor Lewan (suspect)
· Bryce Lewan (Taylor Lewan’s brother)
· Nick Bennett (friend of Taylor Lewan from out of state)
· Alexandra Dileo (Taylor Lewan’s girlfriend at the time)
· Michael Schofield (another UM offensive lineman)
Taylor Lewan’s friends who may be witnesses
· Erik Gunderson (another UM offensive lineman, who was coming from another bar and ran into Taylor Lewan’s party as they were arguing with Ryan Munsch’s party)
· John “Jack” Greenlee (Captain of UM Track Team. He met Lewan in the Brown Jug bar right after the fight)
Members of Ryan Munsch’s group
· James Hughes (victim #1)
· Ryan Munsch (victim #2)
· Kyle Munsch (Ryan’s brother)
· Craig Poeppelman (the man who fell, nickname BMW)
Third party witnesses
· Guillermo Nicio (Pancheros employee, nickname Bulbo)
· Victor Nicio (Pancheros employee)
· Gregorio Aguilar-Mirelis (Pancheros employee)
· Rodolfo Gonzalez (Pancheros manager)
· David Root (General Manager of the Brown Jug)
· Sarah Weiss (called 911 after seeing Ryan Munsch in distress and fearing that he had broken ribs)
· Joseph Christie (witnessed another incident where Taylor Lewan “pushed” a friend of his outside of Score Keeper’s Bar after the Iowa football game. The incident was broken up by police)
The investigation on the night of the incident was conducted by Ann Arbor police officers Schimelfening and Reid. Officer Schimelfening closed the case after reporting that the victims could not positively identify who hit them and he could not find any witnesses to the assault [1]. Ryan Munsch later contacted the AAPD and insisted that he wanted to press charges. Detective Monroe re-opened the investigation.
Who’s who in the police reports?
Members of Taylor Lewan’s group who arrived in the taxi
· Taylor Lewan (suspect)
· Bryce Lewan (Taylor Lewan’s brother)
· Nick Bennett (friend of Taylor Lewan from out of state)
· Alexandra Dileo (Taylor Lewan’s girlfriend at the time)
· Michael Schofield (another UM offensive lineman)
Taylor Lewan’s friends who may be witnesses
· Erik Gunderson (another UM offensive lineman, who was coming from another bar and ran into Taylor Lewan’s party as they were arguing with Ryan Munsch’s party)
· John “Jack” Greenlee (Captain of UM Track Team. He met Lewan in the Brown Jug bar right after the fight)
Members of Ryan Munsch’s group
· James Hughes (victim #1)
· Ryan Munsch (victim #2)
· Kyle Munsch (Ryan’s brother)
· Craig Poeppelman (the man who fell, nickname BMW)
Third party witnesses
· Guillermo Nicio (Pancheros employee, nickname Bulbo)
· Victor Nicio (Pancheros employee)
· Gregorio Aguilar-Mirelis (Pancheros employee)
· Rodolfo Gonzalez (Pancheros manager)
· David Root (General Manager of the Brown Jug)
· Sarah Weiss (called 911 after seeing Ryan Munsch in distress and fearing that he had broken ribs)
· Joseph Christie (witnessed another incident where Taylor Lewan “pushed” a friend of his outside of Score Keeper’s Bar after the Iowa football game. The incident was broken up by police)
 Fenced in patio in front of the Brown Jug bar |
There are certain facts that are not in dispute.
1. Everyone involved was very drunk that night. The only person who had a blood alcohol level tested was Ryan Munsch who was tested at UM hospital and was 0.197 mg/dl (legally drunk for driving is 0.080).
2. Ryan Munsch was carrying a megaphone and some witnesses said that he had been using it to taunt UM fans on the street about 20 minutes before the fight.
3. Taylor Lewan’s party had met to drink at home before going out to the bar.
4. Taylor Lewan’s party arrived at the bar shortly after midnight in a taxi (the taxi was “packed”).
5. As the passengers unloaded on the street in front of the bar, Taylor paid the taxi driver.
6. As Ryan Munsch’s group walked eastward on the sidewalk in front of the Brown Jug bar, the last member, Craig Poppelman, tripped near a low metal fence that surrounds a sidewalk patio area and fell.
7. Bryce Lewan began to make fun of Craig, laughing at him, making fun of him as an Ohio State fan and “egging him on”. Nick Bennett was beside Bryce.
8. According to Alexandra Dileo, she said to Taylor, your brother is going to get into a fight.
After that point the stories begin to diverge.
The first point of dispute is regarding whether Ryan Munsch ended up on the ground because Taylor Lewan stepped between Bryce and Ryan and pushed Ryan to the ground (Taylor’s version) or did Taylor punch Ryan in the face, with Ryan possibly briefly losing consciousness (Ryan’s party’s version). Also, Ryan says that someone kicked him in the chest & abdomen while he was on the ground. He cannot say who kicked him.
The second point of dispute is that James Hughes says that Taylor punched him in the face. He told that to the 911 operator when he called [2].
The final point of contention is that Ryan says that after the initial attack and after Taylor had left, Taylor came at him again and punched him in the ribs.
Taylor Lewan’s Interview:
Taylor Lewan was interviewed by Detectives Monroe on December 17, 2013 and his brother, Bryce was interviewed by telephone [3]. Detective Fitzpatrick joined the interview with Lewan to discuss the possibility of performing a polygraph test. Lewan states that he heard or saw that his brother, Bryce and his friend Nick Bennett were getting into it with someone. Taylor said that he went over to break up the argument and may have pushed Ryan Munsch but did not punch him. He then contends that he said “let’s go” to his friends and went into the Brown Jug Restaurant & Bar and did not come out again until he came out to speak to the police. Bryce volunteered that he had laughed and made fun of Craig Poeppelman who had fallen down on the sidewalk. He said that he laughed at him and “egged him on”. He also said that Taylor had pushed Ryan Munsch to the ground. When Taylor was asked if he agreed with Bryce’s statement that he pushed Ryan Munsch to the ground, he agreed.
Taylor also admits to being on probation at age 13. It would be interesting to know why but I am sure those juvenile records are sealed.
Video of Taylor Lewan’s interview with Detectives Monroe and Fitzpatrick
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Ohio State Fan’s Statements
Kyle Munsch stated that when he heard Craig Poeppelman fall, he turned around and helped him to his feet [4]. He said that some bystanders began taunting Craig. They continued to move further east [in front of Pancheros] and the first attempted assault was from a tall man with longer black hair and glasses, wearing a gray sweatshirt who took a few swings at him but did not connect. He then saw a tall man in a red polo shirt punch his brother Ryan in the face. He also identified the man as having tattoos on his arms. When Ryan was on the ground, Kyle saw another man kicking his brother. He identified that man as wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
He stated that after things calmed down for a moment and Ryan had gotten up and moved over toward a parked white car, the man in the red shirt returned and punched Ryan in the chest. He thinks that is when a girl called 911[5].
Later Officer Schimelfening brought Taylor Lewan over to him and Kyle identified him as the person who had punched Ryan.
Ryan Munsch said that he remembers events before and after the scuffle but that what he knows about the actual scuffle came from the accounts of his brother and the girls who called 911 [he told the doctors at UM ER that he wasn’t sure if he had a brief loss of consciousness and it would not be unusual under such circumstances to lose some memory of the preceding moments].
James Hughes stated that he was walking along the edge of a crowd toward a Mexican restaurant [Pancheros] and when he turned around he was struck in the face [6]. He remembers that the man was very tall; in that he had to look up to him, as he was struck and that he was wearing a red polo shirt. He called 911 and asked for a police response. After the police arrived, one of the officers brought Taylor over and he apologized and asked if James was all right.
Pancheros Employees Statements
Kyle Munsch stated that when he heard Craig Poeppelman fall, he turned around and helped him to his feet [4]. He said that some bystanders began taunting Craig. They continued to move further east [in front of Pancheros] and the first attempted assault was from a tall man with longer black hair and glasses, wearing a gray sweatshirt who took a few swings at him but did not connect. He then saw a tall man in a red polo shirt punch his brother Ryan in the face. He also identified the man as having tattoos on his arms. When Ryan was on the ground, Kyle saw another man kicking his brother. He identified that man as wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
He stated that after things calmed down for a moment and Ryan had gotten up and moved over toward a parked white car, the man in the red shirt returned and punched Ryan in the chest. He thinks that is when a girl called 911[5].
Later Officer Schimelfening brought Taylor Lewan over to him and Kyle identified him as the person who had punched Ryan.
Ryan Munsch said that he remembers events before and after the scuffle but that what he knows about the actual scuffle came from the accounts of his brother and the girls who called 911 [he told the doctors at UM ER that he wasn’t sure if he had a brief loss of consciousness and it would not be unusual under such circumstances to lose some memory of the preceding moments].
James Hughes stated that he was walking along the edge of a crowd toward a Mexican restaurant [Pancheros] and when he turned around he was struck in the face [6]. He remembers that the man was very tall; in that he had to look up to him, as he was struck and that he was wearing a red polo shirt. He called 911 and asked for a police response. After the police arrived, one of the officers brought Taylor over and he apologized and asked if James was all right.
Pancheros Employees Statements
 | Man who followed Erik Gunderson (Caveat: the picture shows the man who followed Erik Gunderson but from a different camera and this picture has not been confirmed by the witnesses and they had identified the people involved as white) |
Guillermo Nicio and Gregorio Aguilar-Mirelis met with Det. Monroe and gave statements as to what they saw [7]. Both of them said that they had seen the man with the bull horn [Ryan Munsch] about 20 minutes before the fight, “messing” with Michigan fans.
Neither saw the very beginning of the fight but they did identify one of those involved as a big man in a red or pink shirt. Gregorio also identified two men who had been kicking the man on the ground, neither of which was the man in the pink shirt. When they watched the video, they identified one of the men as the person following Erik Gunderson after the fight.
Gregorio also said that the man who had been on the ground got up and moved further down the street, in front of Starbucks because people are trying to go after him again.
Surveillance Video
There was surveillance video from two cameras in front of the Brown Jug, however the action occurs at some distance from the east facing camera and there are some “skips” in the video. Thus, the east facing video does not clearly show punches being thrown. It is clear from both cameras that Taylor Lewan is lying about never leaving the bar until he went out to talk to the police.
David Root, who is the general manager of the Brown Jug, provided the video recording from the front of his building. He did not see the incident in person but in his statement he recalled hearing three people commenting “He just knocked him out” and then “Yeah, Taylor Lewan just knocked him out with one punch” and “that was awesome” [8].
Surveillance Video outside of the Brown Jug Bar
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In the video, Ryan’s Munsch’s party is walking eastbound next to the low fence in front of the Brown Jug. There are four members of the group and are fairly widely spaced. The first person is James Hughes in a dark red plaid shirt, the second is Ryan Munsch who is holding a white megaphone (i.e. bullhorn), behind him is his brother Kyle Munsch with a red shirt and white skull cap, the fourth person is Craig Poeppelman (nickname BMW), who can be seen tripping over his own feet and falling down in front of the doorway to the Brown Jug. You can see that Kyle Munsch (in the white hat) and Erik Gunderson (in the light colored tank top with no sleeves and a dark baseball cap) come back and help him up. They continue to walk on eastward with some individuals following. Then you can see a small crowd with a lot of what appears to be pushing and shoving.
The video shows that Erik Gunderson, another UM offensive lineman, is at the site of the original incident, then he move away, towards the camera, while Taylor goes into the Brown Jug. The west facing camera, which is black & white but is high resolution, clearly shows Taylor turning around quickly and charging out of the bar with a very aggressive look on his face. Erik Gunderson sees Taylor charge out of the bar and runs after him (nearly running over his girlfriend). On the east facing camera one can see Taylor run back towards the Ohio State fans and Erik Gunderson has to pull him away.
Erik Gunderson’s mother stated that Erik had told her that he was just trying to calm Taylor down. In his statement [9], Gunderson says that he observed the yelling and Ryan Munsch on the ground but that he did not see how he ended up on the ground and that he never saw Taylor have any physical contact with Ryan Munsch. In his statement, Gunderson makes reference to Taylor Lewan being very aggressive and that he wanted Taylor to keep it on the football field. He referred to him as a “loose cannon”. He said that he had grabbed Taylor, which is confirmed in the video.
Nick Bennett lives out of state and has not returned phone calls from Det. Monroe.
Michael Schofield has only had contact with Det. Monroe through his attorney Vincent Porter. He claims not to have been present when the incident occurred.
Alexandra Dileo, who was dating Taylor Lewan at the time, witnessed the incidentb[10]. She agreed with other witnesses and Bryce Lewan, himself that Bryce had started the incident by taunting the Ohio State fans. She said that it became “physical” before Taylor joined in but that there was no need for it to become a fight. She said that she told Taylor that Bryce was getting into a fight and Taylor jumped in and punched the guy. She said that he was lying when he was now denying it. She said that he met a friend, Jack Greenlee as they entered the bar and said to him “I just decked a guy out there”. She said that the following morning at breakfast, Taylor told his mother that he was defending Bryce and he knocked the guy out.
Detective Monroe tried to contact Taylor Lewan’s mother, Kelly Riley, by telephone but she did not return his call.
Jack Greenlee was interviewed by Det. Monroe. He was asked specifically whether or not he could confirm that Taylor had made a comment to the effect that “I just decked a guy”. Greenlee said that he could not remember such a comment.
Medical Records
Ryan Munsch was transported by Huron Valley Ambulance to the UM emergency room complaining of pain when he tried to breathe. He had extensive imaging studies performed due to concerns about his possible loss of consciousness and right chest and upper abdominal tenderness (over his liver). This included;
· Chest & rib X-rays
· CT scan of the head and neck
· CT scan of the abdomen & pelvis
No rib fractures were found and no evidence of abdominal bleeding or injury was found. The principle findings on the exam were pain and tenderness, which are somewhat subjective; however, they were sufficiently credible to the doctors that they ordered thousands of dollars’ worth of tests [11].
Another Incident
During the investigation, Ryan Munsch received a message via Twitter that a student by the name of Joe Christie had information related to another assault that had happened after the Michigan / Iowa football game [November 23] in front of Score Keeper’s bar. Christie stated they were leaving Score Keeper’s Bar and his friend had made reference to the U of M loss to Taylor Lewan, with Lewan then pushing his friend.
Opinions
The officer in charge of the initial investigation was at the very least grossly negligent in investigating and documenting the case. All of the interviews should have been recorded but were not. If they had been recorded, there would be objective evidence as to whether or not the victims identified their attacker. If Taylor Lewan did apologize, that would be documented. The claim that there were no witnesses is contradicted by Det. Monroe’s investigation and there may have been more if he had sought them out at the time. He did not obtain the video from the Brown Jug.
It is clear that Taylor Lewan lied about not leaving the bar until the police arrived. It is also clear that when he charged out of the bar, he was angry and headed back toward Ryan Munsch’s group.
Although Erik Gunderson played an important role in pulling Taylor away from the Ohio State fans, he was so close to the action that it is unlikely that he did not see what blows were thrown. A Michigan man should be truthful, even if telling the truth is difficult.
| officer_schimelfenings_report.pdf |
| taylor_and_bryce_lewans_statements.pdf |
| ryan_and_kyle_munschs_statements.pdf |
| james_hughes_statement.pdf |
| pancheros_employees_statements.pdf |
| david_roots_statement.pdf |
| erik_gundersons_statement.pdf |
| alexandra_dileos_statement.pdf |
| medical_records_um_er.pdf |
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