A visitor to Santa Cruz is facing charges of voluntary manslaughter after what police say was a fatal fight between two friends Friday night in downtown Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz police said the two men in their 30s — both visiting the area from out of state — were walking together in the area of Front Street and Soquel Avenue just before 11 p.m. Friday when they got into an argument that escalated into a physical altercation.
Officers found one of the men lying unconscious on the ground. He later died in hospital. Investigators have charged the victim’s friend with voluntary manslaughter. Police are withholding the identities of both the victim and the suspect until they can notify the victim’s next of kin. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what led to the fight.
Records show Nikolay Groushevskiy, 37, was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on Saturday on a charge of voluntary manslaughter.