Temperature Rising

“Enough is enough,” said Mayor Bernero in a press release Sunday morning. “I have had it with the lax security practices at this establishment and I cannot in good conscience allow them to continue operating in this city. This latest incident of gun violence is the last straw, and we will move aggressively to seek the revocation of their liquor and cabaret licenses.”

Police said in a press release that officers on patrol at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning “observed numerous people rapidly exiting the Club.” The club is located at 6810 South Cedar. Police said at the same time, reports of gunshot victims in the club were being received. Officers, Robert Merritt police spokesman said, entered the club to locate potential victims, but were met with ongoing fights.

“All on duty Lansing Police personnel and officers from several area agencies were summoned to assist in stabilizing the scene at both the night club and an area hospital,” Merritt said in a press release.

In a follow up, Merritt said approximately 16 LPD officers, and four to six outside agencies responded to the club. Despite reports that officers were met with resistance, no arrests were made, he said

“The crowd was too large, officers too few and scene so unstable we could not affect arrest on those we fended off,” he said. “All ran off.”

Three injured men, ages 25, 29 and 33, were taken to local hospitals with “serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” Merritt said.

The club has been the site of numerous police calls. Randy Hannan, a spokesman for Bernero, said in 2015 the club was the source of 49 calls for service in 2015, and nine so far this year.

Scanner traffic around closing time of the bar on weekends is often dominated by discussions of asking nearby businesses to shut down and traffic control.

Hannan said it was unclear how much money Lansing Police have spent in addressing the ongoing issues at the club.

Bernero and LPD Chief Michael Yankowski have sought an emergency order from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission to shut the bar down, Hannan said. It is unclear how quickly the licensing agency will act on the request The mayor is also seeking to have the club’s licensing under city law revoked.

“The timeline for a Council hearing on cabaret license revocation is spelled out in ordinance 808.8, which requires 5 days notice to the owner before a hearing can be held,” Hannan said.