Skip to content

‘Severely intoxicated’ employee allegedly trashes Garden Bay Pub

Garden Bay Pub was heavily damaged by an off-duty employee after he was cut off on Saturday night, according to Sunshine Coast RCMP.
garden bay
Police say an off-duty employee, who wielded an axe, smashed out windows with tables and chairs at the Garden Bay Pub after he was cut off, causing more than $50,000 in damage.

Garden Bay Pub was heavily damaged by an off-duty employee after he was cut off on Saturday night, according to Sunshine Coast RCMP.

The episode began the evening of Saturday, May 18 after an off-duty worker was barred from consuming more alcohol, Const. Karen Whitby told Coast Reporter.

Whitby said the man hit an on-duty employee over the head with a beer glass and proceeded to wreak havoc inside the waterfront pub, “throwing tables and chairs out the windows, at bystanders and into the ocean.”

“He also got hold of an axe and was swinging that around, smashing tables,” Whitby said. The man picked up a large glass table and threw it at customers and smashed out televisions, she added.

Police were called at approximately 11 p.m., and upon arrival found the “severely intoxicated” man being held down by staff. The man was arrested for assault with a weapon and for mischief over $5,000, with estimated damages to the pub of more than $50,000.

The suspect was taken to the hospital because of a minor cut. No one else was hospitalized.

Management declined to comment because the incident remains under investigation.

The pub was expected to partially open on Wednesday, May 22, and to be fully open next week. Management also expressed thanks for the many people who provided support and helped with cleanup.