Mr Percival’s: Senior Bandidos bikie linked to attacks on bar

In the weeks before a swank Brisbane overwater bar was firebombed and shot at, staff were apparently subject to a barrage of abuse in an incident understood to involve a former senior Bandidos bikie.

A FORMER senior member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club has been linked to an altercation at swanky waterfront bar Mr Percival’s in the weeks before it was firebombed and shot at.

Detectives are investigating whether a “threatening” altercation at the bar in Brisbane’s new Howard Smith Wharves precinct on November 17 is linked to the two recent attacks.

Staff were apparently subject to a barrage of abuse during the incident which is understood to have involved a former Bandido.

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According to Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming, the public altercation at Mr Percival’s was “quite confrontational,” and the party involved used “inappropriate and threatening language and behaviour” towards venue staff.

It is only one of the incidents that took place at the popular venue in the lead up to the December 21 attack, where a man threw a firebomb into an open door at the venue; and the January 6 attack, where the building was peppered with bullets after being shot at from a person or persons on an inflatable boat travelling along the Brisbane River.

The venue was closed when both crimes took place and despite a number of staff being inside at the time of the shooting, no one was injured.

Det Sup Fleming, who heads the investigation into finding who is responsible for the two terrifying attacks, said it was too early for police to determine if the events are linked, but said it’s a key focus of police operation Sierra Stackbolt.

Mr Percival's at Howard Smith Wharves yesterday, after a shooting on Monday. Picture: Josh Woning/AAP

“While we have an open mind to who’s responsible, we are very keen to focus on that area of the investigation,” Det Sup Fleming said.

“We think that’s an important aspect of our lines of inquiry at this time.

“In some instances, police were called to disturbances but in some we were not. We’re going back through the CCTV footage in respect to those incidents trying to identify who the people were that were involved with that. It’s certainly based on the advice that we have received now, considering that these people were very angry towards the staff at Mr Percival’s.

“Whilst there’s no definitive link between them and these incidents at this time, it’s certainly worthy of future inquiry.”

A number of bullet casings were located and collected as evidence after they were found inside the inflatable boat used in Monday morning’s shooting.

The boat, which was stolen from Surfers Paradise in late December, was located by police late on Monday evening along the river in a suburb in Brisbane’s east.

It’s understood forensic officers were unable to detect sufficient DNA evidence from the casings.

Police want to hear from anyone with information on the attacks from December 21 or January 6, or anyone who may have seen the boat.

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