Kelowna

On August 7, 2009, while off-duty, 40-year-old Cst. Chris MacDonald of Prince Edward Island and 25-year-old Cst. Kiel Samotej of Alberta were allegedly involved in an altercation outside a Kelowna night club (Cheetah's) with 15 to 20 individuals wearing Hells Angels and Throttle Lockers “colors”.

As a result of the altercation, Cst. Chris MacDonald, who was part of a group of about seven friends, was taken to Kelowna General Hospital for treatment of numerous injuries. He was held overnight for observation and released the next day.

Other members of MacDonald’s group also sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. The incident was investigated by members of the Kelowna RCMP Detachment who forwarded all circumstances of the incident to Crown Counsel for consideration of criminal charges.

On February 5, 2010, Crown Counsel approved charges of assault causing bodily harm against 25-year-old Kelowna resident Errol Milsom-Gardener in relation to his alleged role in the attack on Cst. Chris MacDonald. He will be appearing in court on April 8, 2010 in Kelowna.

Crown Counsel also approved assault charges against Cst. Chris MacDonald and Cst. Kiel Samotej in relation to their alleged assault of an unknown male who was wearing Hells Angels “colors”. This alleged assault involved a “shoulder bump” inside the night club and is believed to have instigated the much larger altercation that later took place outside. They will be appearing in court on April 22, 2010 in Kelowna.

An internal RCMP Code of Conduct investigation is currently being conducted. Both members remain on duty.

Video of when the Hells Angels were in Kelowna last summer. (Kelly Hayes)