Brawl involves 40 to 50 people outside Element Saturday night
By Kyra Hoggan
Police have not yet charged anyone, but the investigation continues into a brawl involving as many as 40 or 50 people outside the Element Night Club Saturday night, after a much-publicized “foam party” at the venue.
Castlegar RCMP Cpl. Deb Postnikoff said the call came in at about 2:40 a.m. “I guess this had been brewing and tensions had been building inside the club for some time, so when they closed the club at 2:30 a.m., (the patrons) took it out into the street,” she said, adding the fighting groups seemed to be divided largely based on geographical rivalries – Castlegar versus Nelson. She said this kind of call out is very frustrating for police, tying up all three officers on duty for hours, and is potentially very dangerous for emergency responders, given the size of the crowd and the x-factors of high emotions and alcohol intake. “There were innocent bystanders who witnessed the violence and were traumatized, and fearing for their personal safety,” she said. She said the brawl wrapped up with only relatively minor injuries. “No charges have been laid, but police are still investigating the matter,” she added. City councillor and chair of council’s Public Safety committee Deb McIntosh said this sort of happening raises the question of whether the establishment owners should be made accountable for some of the security issues their business creates. “I’d be interested in having a discussion with the RCMP, to see if this is a regular occurrence that costs them money in terms of manpower and overtime, or if it’s a rare thing and no big deal,” McIntosh said. “I think any time an establishment hosts an event that brings in large crowds with alcohol and the potential for this kind of problem, it behooves the owners of that establishment to provide extra security.” McIntosh stressed that she’s not anti-Element, and in fact enjoys the occassional night out there herself … but said she feels the venue’s responsibility for the issues it creates shouldn’t necessarily end when they close their doors at 2:30 a.m. – at least, not if the issues continue past that point.
Postnikoff said she, for one, welcomes such a discussion, as the issue has been a long-standing one for police and residents in the area, who have been disturbed by such events.
She also said police will be closely monitoring bar closures, not just on a nightly basis, but also when the Element is granted extended hours of operation to host special events.
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