Bloody, Near Fatal Assault at Eli’s in Hamden Results in Prison Sentence for Man

HAMDEN, CT — An Enfield man has been sentenced to serve eight months in prison in connection to the assault of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend at Eli’s on Whitney in which authorities say the victim nearly bled to death.

Randall Beach of the New Haven Register reports Dillon Ryan, who was 24 at the time of the June 6, 2015, assault, agreed to a plea deal in which he pleaded nolo contendere to second-degree assault but must serve prison time.

Ryan received a five-year sentence, suspended after eight months, followed by four years of probation, according to Beach.

Ryan was originally charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct when he turned himself in to Hamden Police on an arrest warrant on Oct. 29, 2015.

Hamden Police responded to Eli’s, 2932 Whitney Ave., on the report of an aggravated assault on June 6, 2015.

The victim, a 25-year-old Hamden resident, and his 22-year-old girlfriend were inside Eli’s when a fight broke out and Ryan was accused of head-butting the victim and breaking his nose, Capt. Ronald Smith said at the time of the arrest.

Ryan then threw a heavy drink glass at the victim, striking him in the head, and the woman was struck by the shattered glass and was cut in the shoulder area, according to Smith.

The male victim, who was bleeding profusely from a massive head wound, was treated at the scene by Hamden Fire Rescue and was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital for medical treatment.

Smith said the male victim, in addition to the broken nose, suffered a fractured skull and a concussion. Furthermore, a major artery in his head was severed.

Medical personnel advised an officer who accompanied the victim to the hospital that he was minutes from death due to the massive loss of blood, according to Smith.

Read more about Ryan’s sentencing, including details from the arrest warrant, at the New Haven Register here.

Pictured: Dillon Ryan / Hamden Police Department photo

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