Man convicted of "brutal" bar beating at Aliquippa VFW sentenced to 16-32 years in prison

Brett Ours, the man convicted on several charges for a "brutal" bar attack at the Aliquippa VFW last year, has been sentenced to 16-32 total years in prison.

Ours was sentenced Tuesday morning at the Beaver County Courthouse.

The City of Aliquippa Police Department said the sentence "reflects the seriousness of the crime and ensures that an individual responsible for a brutal act of violence is held accountable under the law."

"The sentence also helps protect our community and reinforces that violent conduct will be met with firm consequences," the department added.

Earlier this year, Ours stood trial on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, strangulation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of instruments of crime, and simple assault. He was convicted on all of the charges except for attempted murder. 

In early January 2025, police were called to the Aliquippa VFW when Ours was accused of repeatedly punching and strangling another man, later identified as Preston Coleman. 

Police said at the time the surveillance video showed three bystanders watching but not intervening in the fight, and Coleman was described as "blood-soaked and frail" as a result of the attack. 

Coleman was airlifted to a hospital after the fight, and police said they believed the two men did know one another. 

Nearly a month after the fight, the 39-year-old Ours was taken into custody following a standoff at a home on Allegheny Avenue in West Aliquippa. 

The U.S. Marshals Service coordinated with local police, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in Ours' arrest. 

Months after the attack took place, a civil lawsuit was filed against the owners of the Aliquippa VFW, alleging negligence and a failure to protect Coleman and other customers from harm.