Nightclub’s safety questioned after attack

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This article was published 06/04/2016 (3648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — A woman who says her fiancée was beaten by two men at a nightclub and claims bouncers did nothing to stop it is questioning the safety of the establishment.

Desiree Fisher said Nicole Fayant had her jaw broken in two places and needs surgery.

“It was not fair — in seconds, she just got attacked by two guys — it’s just not fair,” Fisher said Wednesday as Fayant recovered at her parents’ rural home.

Fisher said Fayant was attacked inside Houstons Country Roadhouse early Sunday.

The nightclub is run by the Royal Oak Inn and Suites and the hotel’s general manager said he will look into the matter.

“Safety for the patrons of our bar is No. 1 and we want to get it taken care of,” Aaron Tycoles said.

Fisher said Saturday evening began pleasantly, as 24-year-old Fisher was leaving a job and 22-year-old Fayant threw her partner a surprise goodbye party.

Fisher, Fayant and a female friend headed to Houstons between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.

Fisher said once inside, they headed for the dance floor where a group of men made unwanted advances toward Fisher and the friend.

“They were trying to grab on me and my friend and it was really inappropriate,” Fisher said. “Like saying, ‘Come with me,’ and just kind of being rude and very blunt.”

As a result, Fayant told the men not to touch the women and as they left the dance floor, one of the men punched Fayant in the head. But the friends didn’t think much of it and the men went away.

About five minutes later they returned, pushed Fisher and her friend out of the way, and charged at Fayant, who wound up on the floor.

“There were two guys on top of her, kicking her in the face, stomping her, punching her and then they broke her jaw in two places,” Fisher said.

Paramedics and police officers soon arrived, Fisher said, but the attackers had already fled the club.

“Nobody stopped them, there was no bouncers around and the club was really full… There was not enough bouncers, probably, to handle a situation like that,” Fisher said.

Nor did patrons step in to stop the attack, she added.

Prior to the assault, there had been a couple of bouncers checking ID at the door, Fisher said, but she saw none during the assault. They only arrived after it was over, she said.

Fisher said she, Fayant and their friend didn’t know any of the men involved.

Fisher estimates Fayant is about 5-foot-6 or 5-foot-7, and weighs about 160 pounds.

The men were bigger, Fisher said. Both were Caucasian — one was about 6-foot-2 with glasses and short brown hair; the other about 5-foot-9, bulky, and with short spiky hair and wore a blue plaid shirt.

Fisher said her fiancée was dressed in clothing that could traditionally be considered male — a T-shirt, hoodie and jeans — and she could have been mistaken for a man, but Fisher finds that tough to believe as Fayant’s feminine figure could still be seen through her clothes.

Fisher said she and her friend provided police with statements at the hospital.

The Brandon Police Service said they went to Houstons to a report of an assault against a woman around 1 a.m.

The suspects had fled and the area was searched, but they couldn’t be found.

An update on the investigation wasn’t available on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Fisher said, Fayant has a jaw broken in two places and bruises around her eyes, behind her ear and on her arm.

Her jaw has been wired temporarily as she awaits surgery in Winnipeg later this week.

Fisher said Fayant’s recovery is expected to take four to six weeks, if not longer. In the meantime, she’s taking medication for the pain.

As far as the investigation, Tycoles said that as of Wednesday, he was awaiting a call from city police for more details.

In such cases, he said, assault complainants speak to police, who then contact Houstons with a location and time of the assault.

That makes it easier for Tycoles to sift through video footage recorded by numerous cameras. He then reviews the footage with police.

There are cameras pointed at the dance floor, Tycoles said, the only problem being the possibility that the crowd blocked the view.

Saturday night was especially tough on security at Houstons, Tycoles said, and that may have had an impact on their response.

“Three of our guys actually got assaulted on Saturday night,” Tycoles said.

There would have been seven bouncers — officially known as doormen at Houstons — on duty at the time.

Usually, two watch the dance floor. Two other bouncers at the door can also see the floor, provided the crowd doesn’t block their view.

One of the staff who was assaulted in another incident that night was one of those stationed by the dance floor so that may or may not have been a factor, Tycoles said.

Most of the security staff at Houstons are experienced, he said.

New staff job shadow more experienced staff, but Tycoles acknowledged training is limited.

“We do have some specific training that they go through company wide … but for the most part they’re hired, they’re put in a location, they’re given a radio and they’re saying this is your job,” he said.

All staff are required to take the Serving it Safe alcohol service and safety program run by the Manitoba Tourism Education Council.

Other than that, Tycoles said, no specific training is required. Houstons’ head of security provides instruction on what’s happening and what to watch for on any particular night.

Provided it’s witnessed, bouncers document each incident in the bar.

Tycoles said he will try to contact Fisher and Fayant, in particular to find out if she has contacted police.

He added the bar manager was out of town as of Wednesday, but will also address the issue when he returns.

Tycoles said any identified suspects can be banned from the nightclub.

Liz Stephenson, Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba chief administrative officer, said all bar staff — including bouncers — are required to take the Serving it Safe program.

That program includes lessons in dealing with criminal activity, aggressive people, use of force under the Criminal Code and difficult patrons.

— Brandon Sun