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Police say it was two bouncers who beat up customers outside a Canal Street bar in March

A video showing a Grand Canal bouncer stomping a patron's head grabbed public attention, but police say a second bouncer inflicted the injuries that sent three other bar customers to the hospital early on March 24.

At a Boston Licensing Board hearing this morning, BPD Officer Daniel Nash said that while Grand Canal bouncer Sidney Phillips, 31, of Avon, has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - his shod foot - the other bouncer has yet to be identified, other than being short, black, bald and goateed. Bar manager David Murray, however, told the board today he knows who the bouncer was and that he promptly fired both him and Phillips.

Nash told the board a melee broke out after a man who was taking photos of a group of about ten friends accidentally bumped into "an unknown large black female." That woman and her "heavy, white female friend" began chewing the guy out. In the midst of that, the unknown bouncer, an apparent friend of the two women, told the group of ten they'd have to leave immediately, he said, adding the bouncer "escorted them out with great physical force."

Once outside, Nash continued, a member of the party attempted to stop the bouncer from being "overly aggressive with his girlfriend." Nash said the tactic worked, in the sense the bouncer turned on the man, tackling him and kicking him numerous times. Meanwhile, Phillips was busy stomping another patron. In an attack captured by one customer with his or her smart phone, Phillips can be seen kicking the man three times to the head while other bouncers held the man down on the ground. Nash said the customer immediately showed the video to police, who used it to begin their search for Phillips - Nash said Phillips hid in the bar basement and changed out of his black "Staff" shirt into a gray sweatshirt.

Nash added that the unknown bouncer also put a woman in a headlock and then threw her to the ground, then kicked another woman in the stomach and threw her against a car.

All four victims were taken to nearby Mass. General Hospital for treatment.

BPD Sgt. Adam Mazzola said that when he arrived on scene, bar workers were extremely uncooperative and refused to point him in the direction of manager David Murray. "The owners were not very cooperative," Mazzola said, adding bar workers and managers refused to identify the unknown bouncer. Mazzola said he kept shouting for the bar manager, but only got an employee's attention when he threatened to immediately confiscate the bar's food-service license, which would immediately put it out of business.

Murray, however, said that even as Mazzola was looking for him, he was down in the basement getting an employee list at the request of another officer. He said he did not try to hide the identify of the unknown bouncer, but that he didn't know who he was because that night the bar had four bouncers who were black, bald and sporting goatees. He apologized for the indifference shown to Mazzola, saying workers have since been told to cooperate with police.

He added that he had no part in hiding Phillips - who also got the bar in trouble for punching out another customer in December. "We couldn't find him," he said, adding he had no idea Phillips was hiding in the basement even as he was retrieving an employee list.

The board decides Thursday what action, if any, to take. The Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing held its own hearing on the incident yesterday; that office can take up to a month to issue rulings.

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Comments

Welcome to Boston, where bars get shout down for serving a drink at 2:01, but the Grand Canal will surely get no more than a slap on the wrist.

"I'm puttin this whole town in my rearview."

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It's basically a club house for the owner, the staff and their friends. They have zero value for casual customers.

I was there a few months before this incident. The place was empty and 6 of us sat at the bar. Two people from our party got up to use the restroom. One of the owners, who was having a private party in another part of the bar (shocker), was greeting one of his guests. He grabbed our friend's coats and threw them on the floor to make room for his friend. When we complained he said "NO SAVING SEATS".

We left right away. Good thing. It looks like if you complain to much there is the potential for violence.

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The bartender on weekdays is a super nice guy. But I see what you say about the kind of atmosphere they put off. Just another regular bar with sports on and OK beers. Rather go somewhere at that point in the night with NO TVS and better beers. But not a bad place to stop in for a mid-day drink.

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is your friend.

This character Murray{?], the owner, must be connected.

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i was watching their page when this incident happened and a lot of users brought it up in the reviews.

about two weeks later, they had put all of these reviews behind a wall that requires a reCAPTCHA (and is really difficult to find in the first place) and deleted them for "violating terms and conditions."

screenshot here: http://t.co/FVvbdCtwMy

yelp is the new BBB and you can pay to play if you see something they don't like. and you have to be REALLY terrible to pay and still only have 2.5.

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I was assaulted by the Grand Canal bouncers last summer. I've never had issues at bars or with bouncers in my life. I was helping push my friend out the door at the end of the night. We didn't leave the second the lights went on which pissed the bouncers off. As we are leaving, the bouncer walks up behind me, bear hugs me, and slams me to the ground. Then pinned me to the ground.

Tried calling cops but bouncers threatened me outside. Ended up with a sprained elbow. Owner took fault and offered me a free drink if I came back. Hope they get shut down.

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