Police want to talk to the management of Nanaimo’s Cavallotti Lodge following a drunken melee that erupted at the East Wellington Road hall on Friday night, featuring more than 100 women and a male stripper.
Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien said officers responded to a call of an assault at the hall around 10:50 p.m., only to find “between 100 and 150 drunk women” on the premises, watching an exotic dancer as part of a fundraiser for the lodge.
“My understanding is that a big brawl broke out among a number of drunken women who were watching a male stripper event there,” said O’Brien.
Police arrested five people they believed were involved in the incident but are not recommending charges to Crown counsel.
“They were drunk, it was an alcohol-fuelled incident and there was no real victim,” said O’Brien. “However, we will be following up with Cavallotti because their patrons were extremely intoxicated and we need to warn them about the dangers of over-serving liquor.”
Two of the women were kept in the cells at the RCMP detachment until they “sobered up,” said O’Brien.
A witness to Friday’s escapades who did not want to be identified said one woman stood on her chair to watch the male exotic dancer, who was dressed up as a police officer before he started to remove his clothing. The women behind her took exception because their view of the stripper was obstructed.
At least four police cars responded to the assault.
“I couldn’t believe that many police officers were there,” said the witness. “It was police overkill.”
O’Brien said the incident has been documented and police know the names of all the women who were involved.
“I guess one woman assaulted another woman who was blocking her view and then all hell broke loose,” he said.
The woman whose view of the stripper was blocked asked the woman standing on the chair to sit down and the latter took a swing at her, said the witness.
“She really scratched her on her face.”
The person who initially called in the complaint told police that not only was she assaulted but her mother and sister were also assaulted.
O’Brien said police arrested the five people because they caused a disturbance.
“There was no real victim here as far as we can tell and everybody was so drunk, it’s difficult to determine what really took place and that’s why we don’t expect charges resulting from this,” he said.
