A nightclub patron came back with a vengeance after he was stopped from taking a bottle of beer outside.

Night Shift on Fifth owner David ‘Pup’ Johnston said his employee was taken to hospital after he was assaulted from behind over the weekend.

“One of my employees was knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly in the head. It was a very serious assault,” he said.

Bar workers at Night Shift on Fifth stopped a 20-year-old man from leaving with a half-finished beer. He and friends left initially without incident.

But they came back and knocked the bar manager down from behind. Three others held back a bouncer while the manager was kicked while on the ground, he said.

“He didn’t see it coming. All he knew was he was on the ground getting kicked,” Johnston said. “Then the doorman that got held managed to fight them off, so he did break it up.”

Johnston said he hasn’t seen the video footage yet, but it’s a disturbing incident that left one of his employees too injured to work.

“Nobody goes to work wanting to get assaulted,” Johnston said. “He was seriously injured for half a beer.”

Kamloops RCMP said officers were patrolling downtown when the violence broke out around 1:30 a.m., Feb. 23.

The four people tried to run, but “various” police officers quickly found them, carting them off to city cells for an overnight stay, RCMP said in a media release.

Most, if not all, were just 20 years old, Johnston said, adding that the night club keeps a record of every patron by scanning identification. He said assailant was a regular at the bar.

Police released the men with conditions and court dates, expecting charges to be recommended later.

Johnston said it’s common for customers to leave with open liquor, so it’s something those working the doors watch for constantly. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes not, but it doesn’t often end up with violent and “premeditated” retaliation.

Johnston didn’t name the alleged assailants, nor have police.

He said any security video they have will be shared with Kamloops RCMP and he intends to work with investigators to see it through to court.

As for his employee, Johnston said he’ll be OK after taking some time to heal.

“He’s one of my best guys, and now he’s taking some time to recover,” Johnston said.