RHINELANDER, WI (AP)-- Authorities have decided no charges will be filed in a fatal New Year's bar fight in Rhinelander.
Oneida County District Attorney Michael Schiek said Thursday the evidence does not support criminal charges.
Forty-eight-year-old James Tanner of Rhinelander died early January 1 after part of his broken sternum punctured his heart.
Police say a disc jockey had pushed Tanner into a bar at Sackett's Bar. The push came after Tanner had punched another man in the face.
Schiek says the DJ gave Tanner a "bear hug" from behind to stop him from leaving the bar, continuing his assault or assaulting anyone else. Tanner eventually landed on the floor, and the DJ asked a bartender to call police.
The prosecutor concluded Tanner's death resulted from a "tragic set of events."
