A Pacific Beach testified at a murder trial about the traffic altercation that resulted in the death of his friend. Colin Costanzo, 25, testified that a car ran the stop sign at Magnolia Avenue and Bond Street and the driver of the cab they were in had to swerve to miss it. He told the court that as they exited the cab on the 4400 block of Bond Street, he was punched from behind and Nathaniel “Nat” Ward was on the ground unconscious from a blow to the head. Ward died a few days later from brain injuries, allegedly after being struck by Sam Bonsu, 35, of Pacific Beach. Bonsu’s murder trial opened Sept. 25 before a seven-man, five-woman jury and one alternate juror in San Diego Superior Court, with Judge John Thompson presiding. He is accused of killing Ward, 25, and assaulting Costanzo in the May 24 incident near the bottom of Grand Avenue. Ward and Costanzo were transported to a hospital that night and both were later released. However, Ward was returned to the emergency room and died from brain injuries five days later. Costanzo said he needed nine stitches to close the wound he suffered when a blow caused a tooth to pierce his lip. Costanzo testified he, Ward and two other friends took a cab back to his apartment at 2:15 a.m. following a night of drinking at various local bars. He said the cab driver had a near-collision with a silver Scion before pulling up near his home. Costanzo said the Scion’s driver drove close to where they had stopped, and he noticed the man seemed angry. “I told him to relax and chill out,” Costanzo testified. “I got punched from behind. I got hit and fell into the (taxi) seat,” he said. “I was in a daze. Nat was already on the ground. My mouth filled with blood. It was dripping everywhere,” he said. Costanzo said his friends helped him carry Ward into his apartment, where he called 911. The 911 call, made at 2:19 a.m., was played to the jury, which included a comment by Costanzo. He was recorded telling his friends, “We’ll find that (expletive) tomorrow.” Deputy District Attorney Corrine Miesfeld told jurors in her opening statement that Ward died “from a powerful blow that fractured his skull.” She added: “He was punched so hard, it caused his brain to bleed…to swell.” Miesfeld said Ward was “a small man” in comparison to Bonsu, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds. She said Ward was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. Miesfeld said Bonsu honked his horn when the taxi almost hit him and he followed the cab. She said Bonsu confronted the men as they left the taxi. After the men got out of the taxi, the cab driver drove off. The driver has not been located. Defense attorney Gary Gibson suggested a different scenario, saying that after Bonsu approached the cab, he realized he was “surrounded by four drunks at 2 in the morning” and that Bonsu was struck by one of the men. Bonsu had a date that night and left his apartment with her at 2 a.m. to go buy bottled water. He said she will testify about the near-collision with the cab and the foul language the men yelled at Bonsu. Gibson said Bonsu will also take the stand to describe how he approached the taxi because he wanted to know why the men yelled at him. “He’s not guilty with what he’s been charged with,” Gibson told the jury. He described Bonsu as a “a calm, nonviolent man” and said neither Bonsu nor his date were drinking that night. The Scion that Bonsu drove belonged to the woman. Bonsu also lived on Bond Street. Bonsu was identified as the suspect after the Scion was located on Bond Street. He surrendered to police on June 2. At the preliminary hearing on June 26, Gibson said a jury would have to determine if it was a case of self-defense. He unsuccessfully urged a judge to order Bonsu to stand trial for voluntary manslaughter and not murder. Gibson told jurors that the reason Bonsu appeared angry was because he was in pain after suffering from grease burns on his chest from cooking turkey earlier in the evening without wearing a shirt. Bonsu remains in the downtown central jail on $500,000 bail.