Police link downtown shooting to nightclub
A shooting early this morning near the Inner Harbor at Lombard and Light streets is being blamed by city police on the Velvet Rope nightclub, saying the victims and suspect were involved in fight there and had been ejected.
The Redwood Street location has become one of the city's premiere clubs, hosting hip hop stars including Rick Ross, Lil Kim and Trey Songz. But it's also where just a week ago a small riot broke out when patrons angy that a concert had been oversold stormed the front doors, requiring 50 cops to come in to restore order (see picture at left, from city police). Now, after the shooting, city police are again calling for the club to be shut down; there is a liquor board hearing later this month where that could happen.
The question here, and in many other similar cases, is at what point does a nightclub stop being responsible for its patrons?
In this case, the attorney for the Velvet Rope, Paul W. Gardner (of White House gate-crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi fame) said security guards inside quickly broke up a shoving match. The guards tossed one man out onto Calvert Street and the second (20 minutes later, after he got his coat) through a different door onto Redwood Street. He told me the guards escorted both 1,000 feet away from the club, and that city police pushed them even farther.
Then, shortly after 1 a.m., two groups involving the people in the initial fight reconverge at Lombard and Light streets. Police said one man got a .45 caliber handgun from an alley and shot two other men. It wasn't immediately clear whether the alleged shooter, who has been arrested, was the instigator or the victim in the fight inside the club.
Baltimore police put the blame squarely on the club: "What more has to happen at this location for this business to realize they pose a gave risk for the people in Baltimore?” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. “The first time we had a mini riot. That was a week ago. Now we have people shot.”
But Gardner asks at what point does responsibility shift from the club to the city? He notes that security broke up the fight, separated the combatants, ejected them through different doors 20 minutes apart and escorted them far from the building. The gun was not inside the club and the shooting occurred 2 1/2 blocks away on a city street.
The liquor board, which is holding a hearing on the near-riot on March 25, could now fold these new complaints into that proceeding. But liquor board chairman Stephan Fogleman can only enforce violations that occur inside an establishment. Police said that they also might intiate padlock proceedings, which account for trouble both inside and outside bars.
Categories: Breaking news, Confronting crime, Downtown, Neighborhoods
Comments
Ive been to the club plenty of times and peronally have never seen a fight inside of the club. Only time that i have seen problems is when the line outside started to get long then the police would hold people up from going inside. Since the police would hold up the existing line more and more people would be coming to the club resulting into 40-50 people being stuck outside of the club, because of law enforcement. They then would say well its to many people out here so we're shutting the club down
Posted by: Tony | March 4, 2010 4:50 PM
I have attended this nightclub on several dates. I can also say that the police officers are very aggressive and rude outside to the people. I have only seen a bar fight one time and the security quickly broke that up and kicked the guys out.
If the police escorted these guys away and the shooting happened on city streets, blocks away, why isn't the police force under scrutiny here instead of the club???
Also, why is The Sun calling last week's incident a "mini-riot"? There was a rowdy crowd who were dispersed without arrest or violence. I have seen the same thing outside of all of the white clubs every weekend!
Is this the police, press and local government targeting a black establishment again?????????
Posted by: jeff | March 4, 2010 7:34 PM
stupid polices
Posted by: affiliate | March 4, 2010 9:43 PM
I would strongly suggest that it is not fair for Baltimore police to blame the night club for the shootings. Though the fight started in the night club, those involved were escorted outside by the club security officers. What ever happens outside the club was not the responsiblity of the club or its management. They club did not owe a duty of care outside it premises.
Posted by: rasong | March 4, 2010 10:06 PM
Excuse me, but if you have a restaurant in your neighborhood that attracts rats, do you make excuses for the owner? If you have a liquor store down the street from your house that attracts drug dealing, do you make excuses for the owner? If you have a rental property down the street from your house that attracts loud music and fights, do you make excuses for the owner? Then why are you all making excuses for the owners of the Velvet Rope? Its a "thug club" that is linked to fights and shootings and making downtown dangerous at night. It attracts a violent element that makes everyone around the club miserable. I hope the police shut it down. And leave race out of it! If this were white people shooting and thugging and scaring the hotel guests downtown, do you really think the police would just be cool about it? Please!
Posted by: Rick | March 5, 2010 9:54 AM
Are we living in a Police State? Is this what we empower our police to do? They threaten to Pad Lock any establishment that doesn't conform to their standards. Do they apply these same standards to white clubs. It appears they want to close all black clubs downtown. Where do they expect us to go? There are many events at Velvet Rope where the police incite more violence than they control. It is time to investigate the police and hold them to a higher standard.
Posted by: Michael | March 5, 2010 10:03 AM
Hey Michael - do all "black clubs" attract shootings and riots and other violence? if so, then the answer to your question is "yes" - all clubs catering to blacks should be shut down. However, if you would think for a moment, you would realize that this is not about race, but about a club THAT ATTRACTS SHOOTINGS AND RIOTS AND OTHER VIOLENCE. Why should law abiding citizens have to tolerate this crap? SHUT IT DOWN!
Posted by: Rick | March 5, 2010 10:22 AM
Tough one for me. I honestly don't think the club is responsible for the behavior outside. But even though the club might be operating in a commendable manner, it seems to attract a concentration of undesirables among its probable overwhelmingly upstanding attendees. The only solution is to close off the area to clubs. It's not fair to shut down one and let the others operate when that club hasn't done anything wrong.
Of course as a society of we take a stronger stand against criminals in the first place, maybe they wouldn't have the opportunity to disrupt what is probably an a very enjoyable experience for the law-abiding folks.
Posted by: IPFrehley | March 5, 2010 10:35 AM
THIS IS ALL ABOUT RACE!!!! WHY HAVEN'T THEY FORCED CLOSURE OF BAR IN FELLS POINT WHEN A MAN WAS STABBED WHICH INVOLVED IN A BAR CRAWL. BAR CRAWL HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN IN THE NEWS UNTIL THIS INCIDENT. WHY ISN'T THE POLICE COMMISSIONER REQUESTING THE CLOSURE OF THOSE BAR INVOLVED WITH THE BAR CRAWLS. ALSO WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A SOBRITY CHECK POINT SET UP IN FELLS POINT. I BET THEY DON'T WHAT TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WOULD DAMAGE THERE DEPARTMENT. BUT TRYING TO CLOSE THE VELVET ROPE IS PURLY RACES, THE SAME HAPPENED TO THE CLUB INSIDE THE BELVERDERE HOTEL, IT'S A SHAME TO MORE BLACK CLUBS FROM THE CITY. MAYBE THEY SHOULD PAY CITY HALL MORE THE THERE PERMITS???? MAYBE THAT WOULD MAKE THE POLICE GO BYE,BYE. OR FIND OUT WHAT THE STRIP CLUBS DO TO KEEP THE POLICE/CIYT HALL OUT OF THERE BUSINESS.
Posted by: uncleollie 41 | March 9, 2010 10:04 AM
Uncle Ollie, learn how to speak correctly please. Your post makes no sense.
Posted by: City Resident | March 17, 2010 7:26 AM