A Kelowna RCMP member received minor injuries early Tuesday when he was attacked from the rear and punched by two Hells Angels during a fight outside a downtown bar.
Shortly after 2 a.m., two members of the Kelowna RCMP's downtown enforcement unit pulled up to the front of Sapphire Nite Club at 238 Leon Ave. and saw a fight break out between five men.
When one member moved in to make an arrest of the main aggressor, he was jumped from behind, put into a head lock and punched in the face several times by a second man, also involved in the fight, said RCMP Sgt. Ann Morrison.
"They continued to identify themselves as police officers as we normally do," she said.
Other RCMP members downtown as nightclubs closed rushed to Leon Avenue. Both men were arrested and taken into custody but none of those involved in the quick battle are co-operating with police, said Morrison.
Pedro Amestica, 39, of Kelowna was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. "He does not have a criminal record and is a known associate of the Hells Angels' Mission city chapter," said Morrison.
Thomas Volker, 37, from Mission was charged with assaulting a police officer. "He has a criminal record and is a member of the Hells Angels' Mission city chapter," said Morrison.
Both men were released from custody and are scheduled to appear in Kelowna provincial court on Jan. 12. Investigating officers did not record the level of sobriety of fight participants but noted in their report that alcohol was involved.
"Police are not yet able to determine if the fight was related to a gang issue or not. The cause of the fight has yet to be determined. We haven't received a lot of co-operation. The officer did receive minor injury to his face and head but did not require medical attention," said Morrison.
It's not unusual for Kelowna residents to be affiliated with an out-of-town gang, she noted.
"Gang members aside, we stepped in to break up a fight outside of a nightclub. I think the bigger issue here is that it could happen anywhere any time. It could have happened if the two had not been gang members. This is the kind of thing that we deal with on a regular basis in and around nightclubs in Kelowna. We see these kinds of things happen nightly," she said.
"And it has happened in the past where we have had police officers trying to break up an incident and have been assaulted in that process.
"The bars and nightclubs were very busy that night so we have members frequenting that area. We do concentrate a lot of our efforts at that time of night at bar close in the downtown core."