A man will face murder charges over the stabbing death of a Canberra bikie boss.
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Comanchero bikie boss Pitasoni Ulavalu died after being stabbed during a brawl that began in Civic nightclub Kokomo's before spilling out on to the streets on July 19.
Police said a 26-year-old man had been arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after another man was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.
The 26 year old would be charged with Mr Ulavalu's murder, police said.
The accused murderer was one of three men to be taken into custody after an incident at the Calvary Hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
"Two other men, a 22-year-old and a 23-year-old, were also arrested and are expected in court on Thursday on charges of affray, related to the stabbing," Detective Superintendent Scott Moller, who is heading up the investigation, said on Wednesday..
"Police will oppose bail."
"The investigation remains ongoing and ACT Policing Criminal Investigations detectives anticipate further arrests regarding the stabbing of Pitasoni Ulavalu."
The three men were arrested after they took a fourth man suffering three gunshot wounds to the hospital's emergency department.
It is understood hospital staff alerted police when the extent and nature of the man's injuries became apparent.
While the injured man and those now in custody are all linked to the fatal Civic brawl, they are not outlaw motorcycle gang members but have links to the Comancheros, police say. Police say some of those arrested are ACT residents and others are from interstate.
Police are unable to reveal any further details of the arrest at Garran.
The injured man underwent surgery on Wednesday morning and reported to be in a stable condition. He has not been charged yet by police but remains a "person of interest". Police have placed an armed officer on guard at the hospital ward.
ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan revealed scant details of the arrest on ABC radio on Wednesday morning, and further information regarding the arrests were revealed by Detective Superintendent Moller a few hours later.
Pitasoni "Poko" Ulavalu, 48, is the commander of the Canberra chapter of the Comancheros.
He was stabbed in the neck after an argument inside Kokomo's nightclub in Bunda Street late in the evening of July 19.
Reports suggest that after the stabbing incident, the victim pursued his attacker outside the club premises and into the street still with the knife imbedded in his neck.
When he withdrew the knife, the bleeding became profuse and the bikie boss then collapsed to the footpath.
Ambulance paramedics attended the scene but were unable to save his life.
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A second man was injured in the fracas at the club and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital.
Police have dismissed the incident as one involving rival bikie gangs within the ACT, which strongly suggests it was a dispute between chapters of the Comancheros, or with an interstate organised crime gang which supplies drugs for distribution by the Comancheros.
"We have been looking at a group of men for some time and the opportunity at the hospital presented itself and he [one of the group] was arrested," the detective said.
"This investigation will go on for quite some time."
He said that there were over 200 people in and around the Kokomo's club on the night of the incident, and "hours and hours" of CCTV footage to be reviewed.
While some key statements have clearly been taken, police are clearly being "stonewalled" in elements of their investigation by the "code of silence" which exists within the bikie gang.
"The really troubling factor of this is it involves members of outlaw motorcycle gangs; so they are not willing to discuss things with police usually so this is a particularly complex matter," the superintendent said.
"I certainly expect there to be further arrests, and more charges laid.
"The Comancheros are a national and international club; their reach stretches right across Australia and internationally.
"So this will have ramifications across all those borders. What we're seeing locally is the violence playing out. As police we're doing everything we can to stop it."
Realistically, they [bikie gangs] are not delivering teddy bears at Christmas. This is what they do.
- Detective Superintendent Scott Moller
He confirmed that he had 27 members assigned to this specific murder case, including Taskforce Nemesis officers which specialise in investigating bike gangs and other members seconded from other teams.
Members of the Australian Federal Police National Anti-Gangs Squad (NAGS) are working with the ACT detectives, who are also liaising with their interstate counterparts.
The high level of violence and subsequent death associated with the July 19 Civic incident, and social media vision which followed revealing the amount of blood splattered on the bar and the floor inside the Kokomo's club, has been confronting for many Canberrans.
"Realistically, they [bikie gangs] are not delivering teddy bears at Christmas," Superintendent Moller said.
"This is what we see they do. They are shooting people, they're stabbing people, they're bashing people. This is what they do."
Police ask anyone with information about Mr Ulavalu's murder to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at its website and to quote reference 6578758.
- with Kathryn Lewis
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