Bar Watch restaurant defaced, others threatened

A Bar Watch member restaurant in Chilliwack, B.C., has been sprayed with bullets and plastered with threatening graffiti, police said.

Staff at the Earls Restaurant called the RCMP at 7 a.m. Friday, reporting multiple holes on the back of the restaurant and a graffiti that says: "Bar Watch member(s) will die. 1 down and 12 go," Cpl. Peter Thiessen said.

There were no reports of injuries, and police believe the incident occurred between closing hours the night before and opening hours Friday.

Police had received a report of shots fired at about 4 a.m. in the neighbourhood of Knight Road and Topaz Drive, which is several blocks away from the restaurant, Thiessen said.

Officers responded but found "nothing significant," he said.

On a number of occasions in the past year, Thiessen said, gang members were asked to leave establishments participating in the Bar Watch program in Chilliwack.

"It is believed at this time that there is some gang involvement in the shooting," Thiessen said of the Earls case.

"This incident speaks to the success of the Bar Watch program in removing undesirables from restaurants and bars," he said.

Uniformed police officers throughout the Lower Mainland district will increase monitoring of Bar Watch member businesses both during and after business hours, Thiessen said.

The Bar Watch program was introduced a few years ago in Vancouver's downtown entertainment district. The Chilliwack program began about 18 months ago.

Bar Watch clubs and restaurants in Vancouver employ metal detectors and ID scanners. They have also given police the authority to enter their establishments uninvited and escort known gangsters from their premises.