Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Bomber fans assault police

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers weren’t the only ones with their hands full during Sunday’s season-ending loss at Canad Inns Stadium.
Winnipeg police report that one of their on-duty officers was assaulted in the stands while removing an intoxicated fan from the stands, and several others officers who assisted were showered with beer.
The incident happened at about 2:20 p.m. of a game that started at noon.
Police said an officer was attempting to remove the intoxicated fan when a man seated beside the drunk tried to intervene and a second officer moved to assist.  A struggle ensued with the intoxicated fan before a middle-aged man -- who was described as being dressed like Hulk Hogan -- could be wrestled from his seat.
The beer was tossed at police officers who responded to assist.
During the melee, one officer and a fan fell down about 12 stairs,
It was while officers were walking the drunk out of the area, police say, that a third man struck an officer several times in the back of the head.
William Cody McGimpsey, 24, of Winnipeg has been charged with assaulting a police officer. A 52-year-old man was taken into custody under the Intoxicated Persons  Act.

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61 Commentscomment icon

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Who let the Mister Rodgers group hijack the comments section. Since when does this city have so many well-to-do's that drunken fools are below you. Granted this isolated incident went too far, however

This is Winnipeg, home of the "Social" - a made up event to get together and drink. we are also a microbrewing capitol.

If you don't like drinking thats what the end zone seating is for.
If you don't like having fun that's what the east side is for.

EAST SIDE SUCKS

52 years old? Are you sure it wasn't the real Hulk Hogan?

What kind of moron punches a cop? He's lucky he didn't get the taser

@whosays, I totally know what guy you are talking about.He stomps his foot and signals a first down every single time! Total loser. He thinks he's some kind of celebrity. That's a lot of pressure to be that big of a star.

There seriously needs to be a better policy in effect. I bet this guy was wasted before he even came through the gates! Maybe they should look at the fact that he was OVERSERVED at the beer vendor. Obviously they can't stop someone else from giving him a beer but at least it could slow the flow. Honestly, this guy must have nothing better in his life then dressing like Hulk Hogan for attention that he desperatly craves.

What is also sad is that by allowing this bad behavior to continue they push away many good fans. I bet there were plenty of people who spent the same at the game on alcohol and still could handle themselves. It's the "pre'gaming" that is the problem.

This had better go national...FREE HULK...

DISGRACEFUL!!!!

I hope that they throw the book at these idiots.

Reading the 54 comments posted so far was more entertaining than the game!!!! And free!!!

If half the drunks in this city didn't attend games, you could cut the attendance in half and revenue from beer sales by 80%. That equals no more Bombers....Long live the ballet!

@Tdoe42 - apparently you're still drunk. If you had anything valuable to say, maybe you should try again when you're sober and can use punctuation properly.

Well, here's the big secret (which the Bomber office already knows about): Very few of the fans in the "student section" are actually students.

When I first bought student tickets they were $5 each ($50 for the season). I happened to be in my mid-20s and going to Red River part-time. Their student cards didn't have photos on them so if you knew anyone going to Red River, you could get student tickets.

Anyway, a LOT of those "students" are still scamming their tickets, including a 45 year old real estate agent and his middle-aged friends.

So, obviously the Bomber organization knows this is going on and looks the other way. Money is money, right Lyle?

A 52 year old who dresses up like Hulk Hogan at every game? How embarrassing.

There's a guy who STILL sits in the lower part of section S who stands up and people actually wait for him to stomp his foot and signal a first down. It's so sad. That's all the man has. The foot stomp/first-down guy.

In 20 years it'll be "Hey, I was the Hulk Hogan guy/Foot stomp guy/Long underwear guy...I used to get student tickets into my 50s and everybody waited for me to do my little trick.

Yuck.

We saw the whole thing happen and we sit in Section A, way on the other side of the field. People ought to be ashamed of themselves. Really, what is the point of spending money on a ticket only to get smashed and feel awful the next day? It makes no sense to me. Also - if you're so drunk that you think it's a good idea to either punch a cop or throw beer at them, chances are good you're not that smart sober either. I'm so sick of people disrespecting the police - maybe they should try living somewhere where there is no police service - I wonder how long they'd last?

I've had season tickets for more than ten years and am so happy I'm not going back next year - people like this make me want to stay home - and I've sunk more money into that team than any one of those clowns spends in the beer line.

another example of the mentality of some bomber fans who were more interested in consuming alcohol and ruining it for everbody around them the pleasure of watching the game. To winnipegs finest you did an outstanding job of quashing something that could of ended a lot worse.

I hope these two losers realize they are an embarrassment to not only the game, but also to the city of Winnipeg. There are families that go to these games with their children, it's one of the few times and places in the city where people expect you to act your age. Hope your banned from the stadium for a while.

To all the rider fans leaving comments against the bomber fans. http://www.cfl.ca/article/warning-to-rowdy-rider-fans-in-calgary read this and tell me this wouldn't happen at a rider game. No matter what team or what city there will always be obnoxious drunks at sporting events. I have been to several labour day games in Saskatchewan and had numerous personal and potentially hurtful attacks upon myself. My friends went dressed as bomber fans for Halloween in Saskatchewan this year and got chased by a mob of rider fans who wanted to kick their ass. Rider fans are among some of the most violent fans I have witnessed. Although I do not condone what happened at the game, it is just down right ignorant to pretend that you are any different. Police are assaulted all the time in every city and at all kinds of different events. So to look down on Bomber fans for an incident that happened with a few drunk people is just naive. Bomber pride!

This is terrible! I was at the game yesterday but on the top corner of the stadium on the East Side! I had no idea this went on until I got home, but someone could have been killed from this drunken stupidity.

I've gone to games for over 20 years and I go for the love of the game not to be intoxicated at 2 in the afternoon because I want to remember what happens. I'm sure it must have been quite the scene; section S is wild at the best of times but that's just over the top.

Maroons, the both of them!

Anyone who thinks the Bomber fans are the "worse fans ever" because of this have obviously never been outside of the city to many other sporting events. I've been jumped outside the labour day game in Regina (so rider fans hold your pride on that - my group was all sober and just walking when the rider fans jumped us), another year in Regina a whole bomber contingent was continuously pelted by beers. I've had friends pelted with drinks and worse in Calgary.

Does it excuse any actions from Sunday, of course not. I'm not sad to see Hogan go. But please don't think this is a "Winnipeg" thing. You're deluding yourself.

This is too funny!! Hogan is like 50, I doubt he's a student anyway, pretty much like my cheapskate friends who are 30 something and make over 70 grand who still sit in that section. The thing is that there are so few times in this cheap city that you can go out and have a few drinks and watch a pro-sports team do their thing. Nine days out of 365 is all Peggers get, pretty sad but either way partying when your 21+ and going to a Moose or Goldeyes game LOL really doesn't cut it, still laughing......So all these guys squeeze as much as they can pre-gaming and partying during the game as they can, its all they got. Winnipeg is kinda a boring place to be if you wanna get crazy and have fun, there's 10 cops in that section alone, not much fun being watch by the "man" the whole time. This is just Winnidead, get used to it, should get worse.

@ commander:

I am a season ticket holder so I attend every Bomber home game, I cheer for the team, I refuse to boo them, I am respectful of those other fans sitting around me, I don't drink a drop of alcohol there, I pay good money for Bomber merchandise.....Tell me, how does that make me "the worst fan in Pro sports today"??? Please enlighten me!

What an ignorant thing to say and generalize all Bomber fans as the worst fans when a few idiots decide to drink too much and lose control. If you hate the Bombers so much then why do you continue to read articles on the Bombers and post about them? Obviously to stir the pot up and think of such "clever" and "insightful" things to say!

Fans who act like that useless drunk are pathetic as are the ones who interfered with police.Hope your parents are proud of you bozos.
Les

have mini-pac tickets to the goldeye games...lots of drinking going on there..but haven't seen anyone get out of hand..by being drunk..why is this happening more at the Bomber games?

bad place that wpg. made number one in canada again. knife, gun and booze capital in canada. you would almost think it`s a wild west town, all you need is horses down town. amen

Blue Bomber Fans = The Worst fans in pro sports today

As much as i usually appreciate his antics, the man they call "Hogan" was out of control this weekend. The fight that occured came out of nowhere, and escalated rapidly once there was resistance from being escorted out. The police did a good job in isolating the situation For the comments that were attacking the student section,i completely disagree. There are different sections in the stadium to accomodate different types of fans, one being the Family/no alcohol section, and one being the student section. Students, who are possibly some of the biggest supporters of the football club, deserve a section, where they can come together and enjoy the football game with special pricing to accomodate their financial situation. It's possibly the only section where you can cheer as loud and as often as you want, and be surrounded by a high-percentage of season ticket holders and die hard fans from a younger generation. For those who aren't happy with fans standing and cheering for their team, and enjoying a few beers, there are plenty of other sections to sit in, where you can stay in your seat the whole game and lightly clap like being at the opera.

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I think it is great that people want to dress up for games and have a good time... but is really sad to watch people making fools of themselves and being so disrespectful! I know that although I am a Rider fan (as well as a Bomber fan)living in Winnipeg I will never EVER go to another Bomber game ever again. Whether the Riders are playing or not! We received such poor treatment (not just the usual ribbing one would expect at a football game but downright personal attacks on us) at the Banjo Bowl, that I know if I want to watch a rider game, Bomber game or anyone else play I will either travel somewhere else to see it or I will watch it at home. Time to grow up people!

This is why Winnipeg will never have REAL GOOD tailgate parties like the NFL. We have been to a couple of Vikings games and the fans do not go crazy like this. There is zero tolerance there! If,IF we could possibly show some kind of respect, maybe they [city officials] and police would let us tailgate a little more. I am not saying get stupid drunk and be idiots, i am saying show your support and have a great family time at the game and before it! it only takes a couple of morons to ruin it for us real Bomber fans!

Dang! I must've missed that commotion as another one took place near my section. Some guy in the balcony lost his hat to a guy that claimed it in the lower section. Wanted to kick his teeth in? Why can't they hold the drinking for the beginning of the weekend not the end of it? Don't people work mon-fri anymore? I couldn't believe so many people drinking so early on a Sunday! Football or not. No excuse.

It definitly was not the highlight of the game it was the embaressment of the game. These people call themselves Bomber fans? I saw the brawl yesterday and it never ceases to amaze me that 40+ year olds go to a game to get loaded, I enjoy the enthusiasim of the student section but throwing beer and assaultimg police offiers is a little much, I video taped some of this brawl yesterday and yes maybe the officers slipped on a few steps but no where near the 12 reported. Most fans come to the game , have a beer or two and enjoy their football team, they are not drunk and unruley, if these so called fans want to get loaded maybe they should be thinking about staying home. They are not watching much of the game anyways, and in the end ruin it for everyone sitting around them. True Bomber fans go to watch the game, they don't go to get loaded and start fights.

Can someone explain to my why a person would pay huge money to go to a game/concert etc and then spend more money ($7.50 a beer?!?!) to get so drunk they have no idea what is going on? And on top of that they most likely do not remember the event they paid so much money to see. I understand having a beverage or two but to get so plastered you make an idiot of yourself or better yet - arrested! Makes no sense to me. Stay home and get that stupid - then no one else can get hurt.

To Schvindel:
I recall at last years banjo bowl in our section, Rider fans started a huge fight as they were completely drunk and it was the cops that hauled them out of our section. But yet you say they don't cause problems? You lie!

This is the reason why my boyfriend, his 5 year old son and I sit in the NO ALCOHOL zone! There are some really immature fans out there! We watched it from the opposite side and felt really bad for the police...I hope those people are charged and banned!

Let's not throw every fan who drinks into this category. For the amount of boozers (myself included) that pay $7.50 a beer and keep Lyle Bauer with a juicy pay check, there are very few incidents like this. We have some very good fans that are respectful to one another. I agree that there are a few goofs out there but don't tell me that we are among the worst. I have met so many wonderful Winnipegger’s at Bomber games which is one reason I keep coming back. PS. Fire Kelly & I will come back more often.

Disgusting, I was at the game and saw the officer and fan fall down the stairs, it was scary. What gives anyone one the right to disregard another persons life or well being, and don't use the excuse I was drunk. If you can't drink responsibly,we don't want you at the games.

Like I have said before if you need to get that drunk in a 3 hour period STAY HOME.

That idiot dressed as Hulk Hogan is at every Bomber game I've ever been at, and never fails to ruin my experience. He is loud, aggressive, and should be banned from the Canadinns staduim. He needs to grow up already and stop looking for approval and cheers from 20 year olds. He pours beer on people, most of which, are not happy about it, and starts fights with anyone who complains. He is totally selfish and quite frankly, deluded. Good ridance to a pathetic human being. I hope you don't come back next season.

FREE HOGAN NOW!!! That guy is awesome. Why do security always have to bring everybody down? We were already losing, why mess with the Hulk?

Maybe the Football Club (if that was indeed football that we witnessed) might want to re-visit the idea of a student section ? Doesn't seem to be a very good idea !

How could one not miss that. That was about the biggest brawl I've ever seen. Not suprised that it was in section S. I did see the fan and the cop fall down the stairs, it was only about 2-3 rows worth but still serious. That section is rediculously crazy.

I think they need actual cops and security to sit in designated seats at all times.

Drunken idiots... I bet the 24 year old is regretting a stupid decision that might land him in jail for a while.

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Wow.. drunk fans falling down the stairs at the stadium, sounds familiar.

Shame on people who threw beer on the cops. You should feel lower than [edited].

That was the most exciting part of the game yesterday!! Other than the beach ball going around the North End stands.

What a disgrace "some" Manitobans are!

My god people. Who are the Banjo pickers now? Go ahead and drink. Drink and get silly (as long as you have a D.D!) But drink and disrespect people who are WORKING to keep YOU SAFE is just totally sick/rude/disrespectful/classless. These losers showering the cops with their beer probably b!tched about how expensive it was two minutes before. Sigh...and a 52 year OLD to boot.

Typical tough guy, first he needs his liquid courage and then he attacks from behind.

I hope the cops took them out and "subdued" them.

It happened right behind me. It was the fellow who looks like Hulk Hogan that was being escorted out of the stands and started resisting that started it. A couple of fans nearby got involved and the shower of beer came from the rows above the fracas. Nobody fell 12 stairs,it was more like 3 or 4. "Hogan" has been doing a schtick for the last couple of years where the fans chant Hogan Hogan and he rips off his T shirt and chugs a beer. He was a little more loaded yesterday and I felt sorry for his son who was attempting to calm him down but then got involved. I guess he didn't like the way his Dad was being roughed up. Lesson to be learned, if you don't want a beating, don't resist.

Nice goin Bomber fans. Real good face you're putting on football being drunken ruffians.

Some sports fans are so disrespectful and seriously they were intoxicated by 2:20 in the afternoon?

I saw this happen from across the stadium. Much more exciting than the game. Even the Bombers were watching!

hahahahahaha...this is the funniest article ever.

You'll never see Rider fans doing this.

Smarten up, "Bomber fans".

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Whutcha gonna do when the rye-filled Hulkster runs wild on you, BROTHERRRRR?!?!?!?!

Some people just can't conduct themselves better than Neanderthals under the influence. Seriously. Can't hold your yourself together after a few drinks? Stay home, don't ruin it for everyone else.
I hope the police officer who fell down the stairs is alright.

Let me guess... Section S?

Maroons!

Hulkamania's runnin' wild!

Seriously though; incidents like this prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Blue Bomber fans are among the worst fans in pro sports.

There is some true Winnipeg Class

Way to go, morons!! Not only do we have to deal with the PR nightmare and weekly embarrassing antics of coach Kelly, but now we show the rest of the country that some Bomber fans are no better!!! Losers.

Charge them, punish them and ban them for life from all future games.

These same idiots are the reason people can no longer enjoy tailgating before a game. As far as I'm concerned police should get out their batons once they get these drunks to the parking lot.

Oh, Section S...

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