Video of fight outside Winnipeg club raises questions about conduct of security team

A video showing a fight outside of Winnipeg’s Palomino Club is making the rounds on social media, and the sister of the young man being hit says it raises questions about the conduct of the Palomino’s security team.

Kira Pipoli was at the club with her brother and his girlfriend just after 2 a.m. on Jan. 4. Pipoli says she heard a commotion outside and rushed out to see her brother.

“They surrounded him in a circle, and they started punching him, they grabbed him by his jacket and they essentially just got him on the ground, and they continued. They didn’t stop,” she explained.

Pipoli says in the commotion she was also thrown down, and injured her stomach. Her brother went to the hospital to get checked out.

But Palomino club manager David Stewart says there is more to the story, and that the video online only shows part of what happened.

“It’s a completely different thing when you have the entire incident in context on security footage and shows the entirety of the situation, and it’s just not what happened that day, not at all,” explained Stewart.

Club management tells CityNews their surveillance footage paints a clearer picture.

Stewart says after Pipoli’s brother was escorted out of the club, he attempted to fight another guest, and then security, multiple times before he was taken down. The club would not release the footage to CityNews, but agreed to show it off the record.

According to Winnipeg police, officers investigated and interviewed everyone involved. Palomino club management showed police their surveillance video. Officers determined staff operated and acted lawfully in dealing with the issue. There are no outstanding charges.

“We try to do everything by the book, and we try to make sure that it’s absolutely transparent in those situations when it comes to dealing with the LGCA and the Winnipeg police, and as we showed you everything, we really have nothing to hide in this situation,” Stewart explained.

But that’s not enough for Pipoli, who says security should never be allowed to use this amount of force.

“We came here, we’re coming to your establishment that you promote as this safe place, this fun environment,” she said. “But you’re sending people home, sending people to the hospital.”