Vancouver police are looking for any cell phone footage of the Granville Street fight early Saturday morning that claimed the life of a 23-year-old night club employee.
Kalwinder Thind was working as a promoter at the Cabana Lounge when a fight broke out on the street outside the club at around 2:30 a.m. Thind stepped in to stop it but was stabbed and died later in hospital.
Vancouver police investigators have determined that the fight involved two separate groups of people that had been in the Cabana Lounge that night. Police said tensions between the two groups had been brewing throughout the evening and eventually led to a fight outside.
“The evidence suggests that several people have photos and recordings of the events before, during and after this incident,” said police spokesman Sgt. Jason Robillard. “They have uploaded edited footage to various social media sites but have yet to come forward to police. It’s important for our detectives to see the unedited footage — it could be crucial to the investigation.”
Robillard said investigators are working to identify the people in the two groups and are asking individuals from both groups to call police.
“This incident appears to be an isolated fight, fueled by alcohol, that got out of hand,” he said. “We need to talk to the people involved as soon as possible.”
Five people were initially arrested but have since been released pending further investigation. Criminal charges have not yet been laid.
Mayor Gregor Robertson said Monday that late night violence in the Granville entertainment district continues to be a problem.
"I know the Vancouver Police Department do extraordinary work to try and keep the streets safe," he said. "It’s a challenging environment."
The mayor added that the city is working with TransLink to get SkyTrain service extended later on weekends as one way to try and address the issue.
"Those fights, and the violence that emanates from clubs that can escalate, is a constant challenge for the VPD," Robertson said. "Our hearts go out to the victim of that terrible death. It’s another tragedy that we wish didn’t happen. We send our thoughts and condolences to his family and friends.
"We’ll do everything we can on the street to prevent this from happening, but there’s no doubt that we need to keep re-doubling our efforts."
Robillard echoed the mayor's sentiment that the area is a challenge for officers.
“We certainly review the Granville entertainment district crime trends and crime stats in that area on a regular basis and it’s a challenging environment for our police department and for our front-line officers that work there,” Robillard said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “So we’re aware of this crime and other crimes that happen and we have sufficient resources in place right now to deal with it. This is an isolated incident that happened and that we are doing our best to try and solve it.”
Investigators are asking anyone with photos or video, or additional information, to call Vancouver Police homicide investigators at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-222-8477.
- with files from John Kurucz
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