Golden Valley man found guilty for fatally striking man at downtown Minneapolis bar

On September 23, a Hennepin County jury found Erik Kravchuk guilty of all three counts he faced for fatally striking 42-year-old Aleksandre Sambelashvili at a bar in late July of 2019, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced.

Kravchuk, 30, of Golden Valley, was convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and fifth-degree assault. On July 28, 2019, Kravchuk struck the victim with his forearm while at a downtown Minneapolis bar, causing Mr. Sambelashvili to fall to the ground. He died nearly a month later as a result of the brain injuries he sustained.

Kravchuck’s sentencing has been scheduled for December 6 at 9 a.m.

“The brazen, violent and ultimately fatal action committed by Mr. Kravchuk resulted in the death of an innocent man,” Freeman stated. “The jury found the defendant guilty of all counts, and he will be sentenced accordingly. The time he will serve in prison does not bring back the life of the victim, and certainly does not make the loss his family and friends are suffering go away either. My thoughts go out to them during this time.”

View the amended criminal complaint against Kravchuk (PDF).