Australian man detained after ‘heated’ Bali brawl outside Finns Beach Club
Bali police have said one Australian is their main suspect from a shocking melee outside a beach club, where a group of five men claim they were attacked by at least 15 security guards.
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Bali police have said one Australian is their main suspect from a shocking melee outside a beach club, where a group of five men claim they were attacked by at least 15 security guards.
The 28-year-old Australian man, who was only identified with initial, MR, has officially been detained while the other four Australians have been released after hours of questioning.
Bali Police spokesperson Senior Comrade Ariasandy confirmed the situation in a statement which read: “Based on the results of the investigation, statements from witnesses and evidence, investigators from the Bali Police Criminal Investigation Directorate have named one suspect in the name of MR, a 28-year-old Australian citizen. He is currently being detained at the police station.”
Police will also speak to another 11 witnesses on Monday, he added.
Officers started grilling the tourists on Thursday over the wild brawl outside the popular Finns Beach Club which left four security guards injured, including one who suffered broken teeth and another with bite marks to his hand.
Bali Police spokesperson Senior Comrade Ariasandy on Friday said they were investigating both the Australians and the security guards involved in the incident.
“The Australians have filed another report to police for group violence claiming that they have been assaulted by at least 15 security guards,” he said.
“We are now investigating both reports filed by the security guards and by the Australians.”
Senior Comrade Ariasandy said CCTV inside the beach club showed an Australian man, who police have dubbed LD, being escorted out by security guards.
Once outside, guards could be seen assaulting the Australian man, as well as four others who appeared to try to help LD, he added.
No charges have been laid over the incident, which was captured on camera and quickly went viral on Indonesian social media accounts.
The clip showed shirtless men wielding what appeared to be planks of wood as they clashed with security guards on Tuesday night.
Badung Police Second Inspector, Ipda Putu Sukarma told the Bali Times the incident started around 9.40pm when LD accidentally bumped into a woman seated at another table.
The incident led to a “heated argument,” he said.
“LD then grabbed another guest by the neck. Security intervened to break up the fight.”
When security were unable to calm down the Aussie, they attempted to escort him out of the venue, Mr Sukarma said.
The Australian man was then allegedly joined by four of his friends at 9.55pm.
The group was later seen heading north toward Jalan Pantai Berawa, Mr Sukarma said.
The incident triggered harsh words from Australian security consultant John McLeod who believed the “drunken tourists” could benefit from a “couple of months” in an Indonesian holding cell.
Finns Beach Club is popular among foreigners and is located in the Kabupaten Badung area in south Bali.
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Originally published as Australian man detained after ‘heated’ Bali brawl outside Finns Beach Club