Stabbing victims sue Exchange District bouncer, lounge after bloody attack

Three patrons stabbed outside an Exchange District nightclub last month are suing an adjacent lounge and the bouncer police have charged in connection with the attack.

Just before 4 a.m. on July 7, two 26-year-old men and another man, 33, were found badly wounded following a stabbing outside Citizen Nightclub and Mazaj Lounge on Princess Street. The men, who had attended a private wedding social at the venue, were rushed to hospital with one in critical condition.

A bouncer, 37, turned himself in to police later that day. Police alleged he got into a verbal argument with one of the men that escalated. He stabbed one man, and then turned the knife on the other two after they tried to intervene, police said.

The three men are seeking damages from Mazaj Lounge and the accused for rehabilitation, loss of income and other costs they claim they incurred from the "excessive and disproportionate" attack, according to a lawsuit filed with the Court of Queen's Bench last Thursday.

Citizen Nightclub and Mazaj Restaurant both operate out of the same building at the corner of Princess and Bannatyne Avenue.

Ahmed Hasan is registered as the owner of Citizen Nightclub. On social media he also claims to own Mazaj Lounge, although a company registry check names one Mohammed Abid as its director.

CBC News has been unable to reach ownership or legal representation of either establishment.

Hasan previously told CBC News the bouncer was not working at the time of the stabbing and is no longer an employee.

In the statement of claim, the victims argue the bouncer was in fact "acting in the course and scope of his employment," and say Mazaj Lounge is "vicariously liable" for his actions.

The lawsuit says the three victims, who knew each other, had purchased tickets to Hasan's wedding social, which was taking place at Citizen Nightclub.

The bouncer patted each of them down when they entered, according to court documents.

Trio asked to leave

Hasan knew one of the men and had previously let him stick around after hours while staff were closing up for the night, the lawsuit states.

At about 2:30 a.m., the bouncer asked the trio to leave, at which point one man indicated they were allowed to stay "a bit longer" and asked for "10 to 15 minutes to finish smoking shisha."

"[The bouncer] in a raised voiced announced [they] had to leave the premises," the lawsuit reads. 

One of the men went outside. A short time later, another went to the bathroom while the third left the building and ended up getting in a fight with the bouncer, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the neck, arm, armpit, back and leg, the lawsuit states.

The other two men arrived and tried to break things up, but then suffered several stab wounds of their own, the lawsuit alleges.

One of the stabbing victims needed CPR when emergency crews arrived; two were hospitalized for several days and received surgeries; all three needed dozens of staples and stitches between them to close the stabbing wounds, the lawsuit states.

"The array of staples, it's like a zipper," Martin Pollock, legal counsel for the three men, said of the injuries his clients sustained. "It's just shocking to see what stab wounds can do. These were brutal wounds. It was vicious."

He called it a frightening case and "every parent's worse fear."

"If you're a parent and you have your young children who are going to these places, and this is the behaviour of a security guard — of a bouncer who is employed by an establishment —  it's shocking and it seems to me that it's not unreasonable to have concerns for your children," he added.

The bouncer was detained after the incident in July but released on $5,000 bail on Aug. 10. He is prohibited from owning any weapons and ordered not to leave Manitoba. The bail conditions stipulate he must stay away from the three men.

The accused is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27.