Vehicle sought in death of man in reported altercation at Portico Lounge: Calgary police

Calgary police are looking for a vehicle connected to a death they believe was caused by an altercation at a hookah lounge in the city’s southeast early Monday morning.

Officers say they found evidence of an “altercation” and someone in medical distress after they were called to the Portico Hookah Lounge at around 5 a.m. on reports of a “disturbance” outside the business on 35 Street SE.

However, 20 minutes later, officers got a call about a severely injured man at the Peter Lougheed Centre in the northeast.

The man died of his injuries, and an autopsy is scheduled for Sept. 4.

It isn’t clear whether the death is connected to the altercation at the Portico Lounge, but police believe the man was “likely injured during the disturbance.”

Investigators say the vehicle is a black Dodge Caliber, with damage to the passenger side of the vehicle’s rear end.

Witnesses are also being asked to come forward, whether they saw the altercation or were at the Portico Lounge Sunday night or Monday morning.

The lounge was the location of the murder of Abdurahaman Indiris, where Samuel Lugela shot him after being sprayed with an aerosol can on Sept. 12, 2020. He was handed a life sentence in 2023.

Police ask anyone with information about this incident to call them at 403-266-1234 or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.