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Sailors involved in fisticuffs outside downtown Victoria pub

As the Royal Canadian Navy conducts local and national inquiries into sailor misconduct, Victoria police have confirmed navy personnel were involved in a fight outside a downtown pub this month that left one man injured and two facing assault charges
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Const. Mike Russell said a fight broke out about 1:30 a.m. Sept. 16 outside Darcy’s Pub in Bastion Square after two groups traded insults and the confrontation got physical.

As the Royal Canadian Navy conducts local and national inquiries into sailor misconduct, Victoria police have confirmed navy personnel were involved in a fight outside a downtown pub this month that left one man injured and two facing assault charges.

Const. Mike Russell said a fight broke out about 1:30 a.m. Sept. 16 outside Darcy’s Pub in Bastion Square after two groups traded insults and the confrontation got physical.

“Alcohol was a heavy contributor to this incident,” in which one man’s injuries required medical attention, Russell said. That man will not face charges.

Police have since recommended charges of assault causing bodily harm against a 27-year-old Regina man and a 29-year-old Oak Bay man.

Russell said investigators are in touch with at least three witnesses. He did not reveal whether those facing charges were navy members.

Lt. Paul Pendergast from navy public affairs said military police have been notified about the incident but it remains under the jurisdiction of local police. He said it’s too early to say whether anyone involved in the altercation will face disciplinary action.

“When an individual is charged by a civilian authority, they usually do remain active until that process is completed [and a decision is made],” he said.

The Royal Canadian Navy admitted this summer it has a serious problem with member misconduct, namely drinking.

In a rare move this past July, the navy ordered Esquimalt-based HMCS Whitehorse to leave the international RIMPAC exercises off the California coast after three incidents of sailor misconduct — which included the arrest of a Canadian officer by San Diego police.

At the time, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman expressed concerns about misconduct throughout the navy and said this wasn’t an isolated event. He ordered an investigation into the HMCS Whitehorse incident, conducted by Commodore Bob Auchterlonie.

A broader review of the navy’s policies and procedures, conduct on and off shore and drinking is being done by Commodore Craig Baines.

Results in both investigations are yet to be released.

spetrescu@timescolonist.com