Several people were injured during a brawl, including four who were stabbed in the upper body, late Monday night, said Winnipeg police.
The fight, which involved at least 20 people outside a downtown Winnipeg bar, sent the four stabbing victims to hospital in stable condition, said police.
Witnesses said they saw a large group of men trading threats, punches and kicks during the wild melee near Kennedy Street and Ellice Avenue.
The group scattered shortly before police arrived but at least one injured man who was left behind was loaded on to a stretcher by paramedics and taken to hospital by ambulance, witnesses said.
The fight occurred when people spilled out of the Lo Pub inside a Hostelling International (HI) hostel, known as the HI Downtowner.
About 80 people were attending a performance by a Vancouver hip hop group, said pub manager Jack Jonasson.
Jonasson said he and a promoter were outside speaking to a man who was upset about something when 15 to 20 people exited and the fight began.
“He was upset because there was another guy at the bar who was a friend of his and there was a conflict,” Jonasson said. “From what I understand the conflict was based on an incident that happened (previously).”
Jonasson said the upset man didn’t explain the incident to him. That man was involved in the fight.
Jonasson said he ran inside and got the front desk clerk to call 911 while the fight moved off site.
Alice, a witness, said people were yelling threats as the violence erupted.
About 50 people were outside, including the people who were brawling, she said.
She said one man was knocked to the ground and swarmed by about three or four people, who repeatedly kicked him about the body.
“It was intense. It was insanely loud,” Alice said. “It was pretty freaky. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Before this, the hostel and pub had a spotless record in its two-plus years in business.
“This is the first thing that’s happened here, any sort of violence in the bar,” Jonasson said. “It’s not something I thought I would see here.”
There was no sign of trouble inside the pub before the fight, Jonasson said.
The brawl occurred during a promotion called Mass Appeal Mondays, a night dedicated to hip hop music.
Jonasson said the performance didn’t draw the usual Monday night crowd.
This crowd came out specifically for the musical act, he said.
“We didn’t recognize anybody,” he said. “On any given night I know 80% of the people coming in.”
The hostel, formerly a seedy hotel, and bar have gone to great lengths to change the building’s reputation and clientele and give it a safe, community atmosphere, Jonasson said.
“We’re very proud of the fact that this is a place where people can come and feel comfortable,” he said.
For now, the pub isn’t holding Mass Appeal Mondays, Jonasson said.
He said the venue will review the incident to determine what, if any, steps can be taken to avoid a similar incident.
No arrests have been made.
Four hurt in brawl of 20 fighters
WINNIPEG — Four men were taken to hospital in stable condition after a brawl outside a popular downtown pub last night.
Winnipeg police said they received a fight call at 11 p.m. Monday at Ellice Avenue and Kennedy Street, outside the Lo Pub. Police said this morning about 20 people were involved in the melee.
Four men aged 21 and 22 suffered stab wounds and were taken to hospital with laceration injuries. No one was taken into custody. Police said the investigation is continuing.
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub’s owner, said about 70 people went to Lo Pub to watch a Vancouver group perform there. Many were friends and family of the performers, he said.
Jonasson said the fight broke out slightly off the Lo Pub property after one man who was outside with a handful of friends began facing off with another group of people. The crowd slowly edged off to a few metres south-east of the pub’s main entrance, near a sculpture.
He said about 15 people began involved kicking and punching each other until police showed up about five to ten minutes later. He said he saw one person taken into custody, but did not see any weapons.
Jonasson said the pub's weekly Monday hip-hop night will now be cancelled. The event kicked off about four months ago, he said.
He said the bar has held hundreds of events without problems.
"It’s unfortunate that this happened," he said.
Bar manager cancels hip hop nights after stabbings outside club
A Kennedy Street bar manager said he's cancelling hip-hop music nights after several people were stabbed near the downtown establishment early Monday morning.
The brawl involved an estimated 20 to 25 people, a witness said.
Four men went to hospital with stab wounds, although all were listed in stable condition.
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub's manager, said the fight broke out outside the club after a crowd of about seven to nine men began kicking and punching another 10 to 15 men who exited the club.
The Lo Pub is located inside the Hostelling International Winnipeg Downtowner, at the corner of Kennedy and Ellice Avenue. For about five minutes, the men clashed in a small park area beyond the southeast corner of the hostel's property on Webb Place.
"We're going to take a look at the situation and try to figure out what we can do to make sure it never happens again."
Jonasson said that might mean getting more security. On Monday night, five staff were working.
He said the crowd of about 70 people who came to see a Vancouver-based group called the Boombox Saints were "far removed" from the bar's usual clientele.
As the band set up to play its show inside around midnight, he said he heard about an upset man outside the bar.
Jonasson said he went outside and tried to calm the yelling man. "I couldn't make out what it was that he was upset about," he said.
Within two minutes, he said a larger group exited the bar and the fight began between two groups before some participants fled the scene.
A local club website advertised an event called Mass Appeal Monday, which featured a string of hip-hop acts for a $7 entrance fee, including the Boombox Saints.
Lexani Llaguno, the group's Vancouver-based manager, said none of the Boombox Saints members was involved in the fight or injured. Jonasson said the event is a blow to the local hip-hop scene he's tried to build with weekly events over the last four months.
Four hurt in brawl of 20 fighters
WINNIPEG — Four men were taken to hospital in stable condition after a brawl outside a popular downtown pub last night.
Winnipeg police said they received a fight call at 11 p.m. Monday at Ellice Avenue and Kennedy Street, outside the Lo Pub. Police said this morning about 20 people were involved in the melee.
The Free Press is looking for further information on the overnight brawl at Ellice Avenue and Kennedy Street. Please email city.desk@freepress.mb.ca or phone 697-7292
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub’s owner, said about 70 people went to Lo Pub to watch a Vancouver group perform there. Many were friends and family of the performers, he said.
Jonasson said the fight broke out slightly off the Lo Pub property after one man who was outside with a handful of friends began facing off with another group of people. The crowd slowly edged off to a few metres south-east of the pub’s main entrance, near a sculpture.
He said about 15 people began involved kicking and punching each other until police showed up about five to ten minutes later. He said he saw one person taken into custody, but did not see any weapons.
Jonasson said the pub's weekly Monday hip-hop night will now be cancelled. The event kicked off about four months ago, he said.
He said the bar has held hundreds of events without problems.
"It’s unfortunate that this happened," he said.
Bar manager cancels hip hop nights after stabbings outside club
A Kennedy Street bar manager said he's cancelling hip-hop music nights after several people were stabbed near the downtown establishment early Monday morning.
The brawl involved an estimated 20 to 25 people, a witness said.
Four men went to hospital with stab wounds, although all were listed in stable condition.
Jack Jonasson, the Lo Pub's manager, said the fight broke out outside the club after a crowd of about seven to nine men began kicking and punching another 10 to 15 men who exited the club.
The Lo Pub is located inside the Hostelling International Winnipeg Downtowner, at the corner of Kennedy and Ellice Avenue. For about five minutes, the men clashed in a small park area beyond the southeast corner of the hostel's property on Webb Place.
"We're going to take a look at the situation and try to figure out what we can do to make sure it never happens again."
Jonasson said that might mean getting more security. On Monday night, five staff were working.
He said the crowd of about 70 people who came to see a Vancouver-based group called the Boombox Saints were "far removed" from the bar's usual clientele.
As the band set up to play its show inside around midnight, he said he heard about an upset man outside the bar.
Jonasson said he went outside and tried to calm the yelling man. "I couldn't make out what it was that he was upset about," he said.
Within two minutes, he said a larger group exited the bar and the fight began between two groups before some participants fled the scene.
A local club website advertised an event called Mass Appeal Monday, which featured a string of hip-hop acts for a $7 entrance fee, including the Boombox Saints.
Lexani Llaguno, the group's Vancouver-based manager, said none of the Boombox Saints members was involved in the fight or injured. Jonasson said the event is a blow to the local hip-hop scene he's tried to build with weekly events over the last four months.
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