Australasian Biker News
Brawl
footage under scrutiny
BY ALEX ARNOLD
3/06/2008 4:00:00 AM
Police investigations continue into a brawl that erupted at a kickboxing
event at the Dapto Leagues Club on Friday night.
The incident involved up to 35 people and forced the club to shut.
During the brawl a 32-year-old man was stabbed with a knife which
severed a main artery in his right leg.
He was taken to Wollongong Hospital where he remained in a stable
condition yesterday.
About 300 people were attending the fight night in the upstairs
auditorium when the brawl broke out just after midnight.
Police from Lake Illawarra and Wollongong attended and arrested a number
of people for offensive conduct and for failing to quit licensed
premises.
Yesterday police were collecting available CCTV footage and attempting
to identify people involved.
A police spokesman confirmed they were following up information that
people affiliated with motorcycle gangs were in the melee.
However a witness yesterday contacted the Mercury to deny reports
members of the Lone Wolf, Nomads and Rebels were involved.
"There were no bikies involved whatsoever," the witness said.
The witness said there was no Nomad or Rebel members present at the
event and Lone Wolf members present were not involved in the incident.
"It was started by some young blokes who had no connection to bikie
gangs," the witness said.
The witness said the security in place was overwhelmed and there were no
metal detectors as there had been on previous occasions.
A spokesman for the club directed media inquiries to police, adding that
there had never been any previous problems with similar events at the
venue.
Witnesses can contact police on their arsephone
Bikies in Dapto club brawl
2/06/2008 4:00:00 AM
A brawl involving up to 35 people, including members of three rival
outlaw motorcycle gangs, forced the shutdown of a Dapto club early
yesterday.
A 32-year-old man was stabbed and a security officer thrown down a
flight of stairs during the brawl, which occurred at a boxing night at
Dapto Leagues Club.
About 300 people were attending the fight in the upstairs auditorium
when the brawl broke out just after midnight.
It is believed the final bout was about to start when words were
exchanged over support for the boxers, with the argument then erupting
into violence.
A police officer said it was believed members of the Lone Wolf, Nomads
and Rebels motorcycle gangs were involved.
The 32-year-old man was stabbed in the right leg with either a knife or
broken glass, severing a main artery.
He had emergency surgery at Wollongong Hospital and was yesterday
recovering in a stable condition. He was yet to provide police with a
statement last night.
Police said the security guard, who had attempted to assist the injured
man, was allegedly picked up by a group of individuals and thrown down a
staircase, fortunately escaping serious injury.
A witness said the brawl occurred in two stages.
"All of a sudden it just erupted into a free-for-all. People were
running in, girls were running out and tables were flying everywhere,"
he said.
"The bouncers came in and it stopped, then it started up again about
three minutes later and it got really bad. It was just bedlam.
"As we were leaving, there was blood everywhere near this one guy and
people were working on him, trying to stem the flow."
Units from the Lake Illawarra and Wollongong area police commands
responded, while the Police Dog Squad was called in from Sydney for
crowd control, but later withdrawn.
A police spokesman said people believed to be involved in the brawl
"escaped through various fire escapes and other exits".
The club was closed down about 1am, two hours earlier than usual.
As police dispersed about 500 people, there were a number of arrests for
offensive conduct and failing to quit a licensed premises.
Detectives and forensics police established a crime scene with
investigations continuing into the early morning.
The club reopened for Sunday trading. A club spokesman was unavailable
for comment.
Witnesses are asked to contact the police on their arsephone