MONTREAL- Montreal cop home after severe beating in Cancun bar

OFF THE WIRE
Hells Angels MC
 thestar.com
A Montreal police officer who was severely beaten in a Cancun bar is recovering at home, but the force wants to know if the four-year constable was targeted because he is a cop.
Even though the attack occurred in another country, investigators in Montreal are trying to determine if the officer was specifically picked out and if charges should follow.
The officer, whose name has been kept confidential, returned to Canada on Thursday to be treated for injuries so serious that he was deemed unrecognizable.
“If he was targeted for his work, this is considered intimidation and we'll investigate,” said Montreal police Sgt. Ian Lafreniere.
“When we talk about a police officer, lawyer, judge or even journalist . . . when people are targeted for work against organized crime, as a society, that is unacceptable.”
The man in his late 20s was part of a group of eight police officers — six Montreal and two Quebec provincial police — who were vacationing in Playa del Carmen, a popular resort town just south of Cancun.
On Saturday night, three of the officers chose to go to a Cancun nightclub.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday, two of the officers became separated from the victim and assumed he had returned to the hotel. When they didn't find him, they rushed back to the bar and found him beaten to such an extent that he required surgery.
Media reports in Canada have said the assault was perpetrated by an alleged member of the Quebec Hells Angels over a photograph that had been snapped.
But Mexican police are treating the altercation as a run-of-the-mill bar fight.
Montreal police won't confirm who they believe was involved, but say an investigation is ongoing.
Lafreniere said that probe will end if it emerges the fight was random.
One source told The Canadian Press there were initial concerns about the officer's vision in the long term.
Lafreniere said as of Friday, the officer was recovering and doing well, although in no condition to talk to investigators.
“Physically, he should be OK,” Lafreniere said.
The officers weren't there on any official business — they were former classmates who all attended police academy together in Quebec.
“They weren't on a stakeout or on official police business, they were just hanging out,” Lafreniere said. “They are friends.”
The victim is not linked to the anti-gang or organized crime unit.
All the officers have since returned to Canada.