A nightclub faces being forced to close following a series of violent incidents including a shooting and the death of a reveller after he was restrained by bouncers.
One senior Met detective raised concerns over “excessive use of force” by doorstaff at Club 65 in Vauxhall, and reports of patrons taking revenge.
Lambeth councillors temporarily suspended the club’s licence after police called for a review, and say they will make a final decision on the venue’s fate by Monday. Club 65, in Albert Embankment, has a capacity of 300 and hosts events including house, R’n’B, bashment and hip-hop nights.
In 2014, aspiring pilot Adam Hird, 30, from Epping, was pinned down by bouncers for six minutes before dying in hospital. An inquest ruled he died of asphyxiation. Three doormen were acquitted of manslaughter by negligence at the Old Bailey in February.
The most recent trouble flared after a “heated argument” when entry was refused to four men last month.
A police report submitted to Lambeth council states that after the men left, a car pulled up and a passenger got out, “pulled out a black and silver handgun and fired four shots towards the bouncers. One hit [a doorman] in his right ankle.” The gunman escaped.
One patron claimed he was punched in the face by bouncers and “kneed in the stomach”, the report adds. Another alleged he was “dragged out and headbutted”.
Applying for a licensing review, Detective Superintendent Sean Oxley wrote: “A number of patrons have made allegations of assault or heavy-handedness at the hands of the door staff. [The Met] acknowledges staff have the right to use force to eject patrons, however the following shows ... a concerning pattern of potential excessive force.”
He questioned whether Club 65 was helping reduce crime if it was “attracting patrons who, on being refused entry, will resort to ... firearms”.
After Mr Hird’s death Club 65’s licence was suspended before it reopened under new conditions including hiring better-trained door staff. Artur Moreno, who runs the venue with wife Dora, said Mr Hird’s death “affected us all greatly”.
He wrote in evidence that they co-operated with police, CCTV was always made available to officers and security measures included an ID scanner.
Prior to last month’s shooting door staff “behaved entirely properly” and one of the four men refused entry was thought to have had a knife, he said.
“A suspension of my licence will be a disaster. I do not believe the club can survive a closure,” he added. The Morenos were unavailable for comment.
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