Two men with alleged ties to the Hells Angels have been accused of ganging up on a Mountie who was trying to break up a brawl at a Kelowna nightclub early Tuesday morning.
Police say the officer was jumped from behind while he was approaching a group of about five men fighting outside the Saphire club on Leon Avenue at around 2 a.m.
One assailant put him in a headlock as a second began repeatedly punching him in the face, according to Kelowna RCMP. Both men were arrested and taken into custody.
The officer sustained minor injuries to his face and head but did not require medical attention.
Pedro Amestica, a 39-year-old who police call an associate of the Hells Angles chapter in Mission, has been charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He has no criminal record.
Thomas Volker, 37, has been charged with assaulting a police officer. Mounties say he has a criminal record and is a member of the same Hells Angels chapter.
Mounties have yet to determine what started the brawl, or whether it was gang-related.
Both Amestica and Volker are scheduled to appear in Kelowna provincial court on Jan. 12, 2012.
