Monks Inn Battles Tough Customers After Wednesday’s Fight

A fight erupted at Monks Inn, located in Saint Inigoes, on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

No-one can say how the brawl began, but in the corner of the newly refurbished bar an argument turned physical. The security staff moved the men to the door but couldn’t prevent them from plowing into the bar before hoisting the entangled men outside. Bartenders phoned police as soon as the disturbance began but for the longest time Monks bouncers were left to contain the battle themselves – and it was far from over once the participants were outside the bar.

In the parking lot the man who appeared to be the victim, was pursued to his car, where they began smashing his windows in an attempt to continue the attack. In his hurry to escape he hit at least two people with his car, one staff member told The Bay Net.

The fight began shortly before “last call,” when the bar was at its busiest. One bar tender recalls a man asking for his coat because he was trying to leave but by the time it had been fetched for him from behind the bar he had gone and a fracas had erupted. Staff called police four separate times to ask for assistance, but, said one witness, “It seemed like it took them forever to get here.” In the meantime the bar’s bouncers were left to handle the clash themselves.

After getting the men outside and away from the bar’s visitors, the security staff tried to disburse the scrap as it continued on the street and in the parking lot – despite being attacked themselves. When police finally arrived an ambulance was called and Randy, who was one of the bouncers working on Wednesday, was carried from the bar on a backboard after sustaining a back injury. A second bouncer, who was smashed over the head with a board, was also taken to hospital, where he needed several stitches.

Witnesses said the bouncers showed considerable bravery and determination, doing everything they could to control the antagonists once they’d removed them from the bar. One regular said he couldn’t understand what had taken the police so long to come, and another, who left the bar shortly before the clash was particularly disturbed because said he drove past a police car parked in Lexington Park and saw a second seemingly sitting at a nearby landfill, on his way home around the time of the furor.

The bar itself was left with “broken glass from wall to wall,” and “beer bottles smashed all over the floor.”

Monks had been working to deter a few aggressive visitors who had started to appear on Wednesday nights. On other nights during the week the inn’s customers are usually locals who come in for a relaxed atmosphere and quiet drinks with a regular crowd after work. Even Friday and Saturday nights when the bar hosts bands or events and gets busy with people looking for an entertaining night out, the mood is one of fun.

The management has been working hard to keep rowdy crowds away. In the last month the bar has been repainted and redesigned inside, with a higher ceiling and new lighting. But it isn’t all aesthetic. When the fight took place on Wednesday the bar had alre