BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A Buffalo bar, shut down after violence over the weekend, has a long history of problems. The Nightclub at 45 W. Chippewa has been fined thousands of dollars over the last few years.
City officials and Buffalo Police closed the bar late Monday afternoon. They said over the last five months there have been numerous 911 calls made about assaults and fights at the Nightclub.
Police told News 4 around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday someone was stabbed during a massive fight inside the bar. The next night, three shots were fired in an nearby parking lot after another fight, according to police.
Chippewa business owner Jay Manno told News 4 he’s glad the city took action.
“It is great news,” said Manno, owner of Soho Burger Bar and Frankie Primo’s +39. “It’s addition by subtraction. They really honestly were the last, let’s call them the ‘cash grab’, unsavory operators. I think most of us feel like this was one of the final steps in where we want this street to go.”
News 4 obtained documents from the NYS Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and discovered the Nightclub has been penalized in the past.
The Nightclub was formerly known as 4-Play. The State Liquor Authority fined the bar $4,500 in November 2011 for violations in 2010 and 2011. The SLA said the owners failed to notify them of a change concerning the employment of a manager in 2011 and permitted lewd and inappropriate conduct in 2010.
Another set of documents show the SLA fined the bar $6,000 in June 2015 for violations from 2011 and 2013. Those violations included operating a disorderly premise and sale to a minor.
The third set of documents show the SLA fined the bar $3,000 on Oct. 25, 2016 for employing unregistered bouncers in February, 2016.
The SLA said the Nightclub still has an active liquor license but they have opened a new investigation after the weekend’s events.
If the owner wants to re-open, however, he needs to reapply with the city, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
“I think this sends a very strong message, a very powerful message,” said Mayor Brown. “We want to make sure establishments in our city are operated safely. We want patrons to be able to go to a bar or restaurant or any other establishment, have a good time, leave go home and be okay.”
