6 March 26th-april 1st, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Still Seeking Justice Phoenix, Club DWNTWN sued over fatal security guard assault. BY CLARISSA SOSIN A year ago, early in the morning of March 16, a brawl outside Club DWNTWN spilled into the road. Club patrons and security guards threw fists as bystanders stood by and filmed. In the middle of the chaos, a man with “security” emblazoned in white letters across his back darted through the center of the crowd to where his colleagues held a patron. He cocked back his arm and socked the restrained man with an uppercut. A chorus of schoolyard cheering echoed through the crowd as it dispersed and the man fell limply to the ground. The man, a 22-year-old electrician and father named Rafael Montoya, died three days later from his injuries. No one has been charged with his death. As video of Montoya’s beating spread in the immediate aftermath of the incident at the Latin nightclub in downtown Phoenix, his killing quickly became a subject of controversy. The Arizona Republic reported that the agency hired to provide security, Blanco Protection Agency, was not certified with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Footage showed two nearby off-duty Phoenix police officers doing close to the bare minimum to help Montoya. And the Republic also identified the security guard who threw the fatal blow as far-right YouTuber and Proud Boys member Charles “Brandon” Recor, who has a crim- inal record and a history of violence. Now, exactly a year after Recor threw that punch, Montoya’s family members have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Phoenix, Recor, Club DWNTWN and Blanco Protection Agency in Maricopa County Superior Court. The suit was filed by Montoya’s parents as well as by the mother of his daughter, on the daughter’s behalf. Among other things, the suit accuses the city (and, by extension, the Phoenix Police Department) of negligent training and supervision, and accuses the club and its security agency of negligent hiring. Recor is accused of battery, a charge he has yet to face from prosecutors. The two Phoenix police officers who stood by as Montoya was assaulted, Daniel Dominguez and Anthony Goldsmith, were not named as defendants in the suit. However, the suit notes that they “had a duty to protect Club DWNTWN patrons, including Rafael Montoya, from unreasonable risks of harm on or arising from Club DWNTWN’s premises.” “No jury verdict is going to make their tremendous pain go away but they’re obsessed with obtaining justice and that’s what we’ll get them,” James E. Fucetola, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, told Phoenix New Times. Phoenix spokesperson Dan Wilson declined to comment on the pending litiga- tion. Neither Blanco Protection Agency, Club DWNTWN nor Recor responded to a request for comment. A memorial for Rafael Montoya outside Club DWNTWN on March 17, 2026. (Clarissa Sosin) >> p 8 | NEWS | | NEWS |
