Police allege that the Hells Angels have been involved with agencies that supply exotic dancers to strip clubs. A former Cecil bouncer, Michael Plante, had been a Hells Angels enforcer and later infiltrated the East End chapter as a paid police agent. Plante is now in witness protection."It was a crazy scene . . . fists, chairs, bottles were flying inside the bar," said Const. Tim Fanning of the Vancouver police department.A 30-year-old Richmond man was shot dead and a second man injured after a "wild west" fight broke out at Cecil strip club in downtown Vancouver Wednesday.According to police, the fight broke out around 10:30 p.m., and involved between 20 and 30 men.
The Cecil is slated for redevelopment with a 22-storey residential tower proposed for the site.Minutes later, a single shot fired inside the bar sent panicked patrons and staff running out into the parking lot at the rear of the building at 1336 Granville.Outside, gunfire again erupted with bullets striking at least two men, killing one.Police -- who'd received several 911 calls -- arrived on scene at 10:40 p.m. to find the body of a man lying near the dumpsters near the back door.
A second man, a 32-year-old Surrey resident, was shot in the leg. He was taken to hospital for treatment and released early Thursday.Police were not releasing the name of either shooting victim Thursday. Fanning said both are known gang associates, but declined to identify the gang.
He said it remains unclear what started the fight."We don't know if someone looked at someone the wrong way or a beer was knocked over, but, suffice to say, it had very tragic consequences," he said.Suspects in the shooting have yet to be identified.Investigators have, so far, interviewed dozens of witnesses and seized hotel security videos.Four vehicles were also towed from the club parking lot, including the dead man's car and three vehicles police believe may provide valuable clues in the shooting, such as DNA or fingerprints.The club remained shut Thursday, surrounded by yellow police tape and uniformed police officers.A man answering the phone at the bar said no one was available to comment on the incident. He said it was uncertain when the business would re-open.Fanning said VPD's gang suppression task force regularly patrols the Cecil, among other clubs along Granville Street club strip.
The Cecil is not a member of the Vancouver Barwatch program. Barwatch chair John Teti said Cecil owners had, in the past, expressed an interest in joining the society, but were turned down.
"We weren't ready to have a strip bar as a member," Teti said.
To qualify for the program, bars must be approved by the Vancouver Police, have metal detectors and identification scanners and have agreed to allow the police to enter the bar and remove patrons without permission.