By CATHERINE DONNELLY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
In the late hours of May 20, violence broke out at The Coral Reef Lounge. “The Reef,” as it is sometimes called, is one of the oldest and most established iconic night spots located in the lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV).
“We welcome locals, RGV friends and tourists, but we do not welcome violence of any kind at our establishment,” said Colleen Beumel, also known as Coco, owner/manager of the Coral Reef. “We want everyone to have fun and feel safe when they come to the Reef.”
There were two victims in the melee, according to police. One victim, a local man who requested to withhold his name, was playing pool in the back with an unknown man. An argument broke out when the local man won and wanted the opponent to make good on his bet. As things got louder, several people gravitated toward the back to see what was going on and help alleviate the situation, according to several witnesses.
As the two opponents were arguing, a man later identified in the police report as Monty Serkan Demirel of Conroe, TX, was seen in surveillance footage holding onto something in his pocket, and he was initially behind the local man’s pool playing opponent. Local resident Benjamin “Frankie” Wolkey stood behind the local man to make sure he was safe from behind should a physical fight break out, according to Wolkey.
The video shows Demirel suddenly coming around the pool table and lunging and stabbing Wolkey seemingly unprovoked. Wolkey recounts that he was not paying much attention to Demirel and wasn’t aware of being stabbed until it happened. At the time, Wolkey was only inches from his girlfriend who had come back to see what was going on.
At some point, the opponents broke out in a physical fight and the local man was hit in the head with a bottle by his assailant. He went to run after the assailant but passed out and reportedly didn’t remember anything after that.
Wolkey says that he wasn’t sure if his assailant was a danger to the others at the bar, or if he was running for a gun, so he pursued the man and engaged him by the restrooms which garnered another stab wound, this time in his side and he continued to try stopping him from getting away until police could arrive, spilling into the parking lot out front. The incident didn’t seem to make much sense to Wolkey at the time, especially concerning why he was stabbed by someone he didn’t know or had a beef with.
The group of strangers got into their car after a brief struggle with Wolkey, and they drove away. As the police arrived moments later, Wolkey told the officers that he could still see the car’s taillights down Padre Boulevard. The police reportedly pursued them, pulled them over and made the arrest.
Wolkey was bleeding and attended to by paramedics while filling out his police report. Another car drove by and a man shouted “You’re going down,” in Wolkey’s direction, according to the victim. It was then that he started to wonder if he was the target all along.
The Coral Reef is a place where people come just to check out the scene and have some fun. They have all kinds of specials and karaoke every single night. It’s a place where the locals like to hang out and relax and visitors are always welcome. The employees and customers almost feel like family.
“We can’t tolerate this type of dangerous criminal activity in our bar,” said Beumel. “We will pursue the full extent of the law in going after anyone who tries acting this way again at The Reef.”
According to the South Padre Island Police (SPIPD) police report, their agency was dispatched in response to a “DISTURBANCE/22.02 AGG ASSAULT W/DEADLY WEAPON.” The criminal activity is listed as “unknown gang” activity.
The arrestee is listed as Monty Serkan Demirel of Conroe, Texas, a white male standing about 5 foot 6 inches, with brown hair and brown eyes. The police report reads that on “Monday May 20, 2024, officers responded to 5301 Padre Boulevard in reference to an aggravated assault regarding a male suspect, who stabbed a male victim utilizing a knife.” The arrestee caused serious bodily injury to another [Wolkey], using a deadly weapon during the commission of the assault. The male suspect was placed under arrest and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and transported to the South Padre Island city jail, according to the report.