When police arrived at a dangerously overcrowded club in Garfield Park early Friday, they found utter pandemonium that included a fight, two car crashes and a man shooting wildly into the air.
Police were called about 1 a.m. to Brick’s Sports Bar and Grill, 4422 W. Madison St., after a patron called to complain of dangerous overcrowding, [...]. When officers arrived they were not allowed inside and the doors were locked, trapping all the patrons inside.
Someone eventually got the doors open and patrons streamed out, [...]. Police counted 273 people leaving the 99-person-capacity club, but had to stop their count because a man was firing shots in a parking lot across the street.
- At the same time, two women were fighting and one got in her car and tried to leave, [...]. Several patrons tried to stop her, resulting in her crashing into several parked cars and hitting one patron, who was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
Pretty cut and dried - out of control club, drunks and guns. Then we opened our e-mail:
- SCC,
This "club" has been a big problem for a while now. It's been opened under a bunch of different names and has never had a club license. 011 shut it down a few weeks ago with another few hundred people and no licenses.
The trouble is 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin is connected to the club - you remember Ervin? The son of retired commander Claudell. The owner keeps dropping his name. Last time she got locked up, Ervin was on the phone with the Watch Commander within the hour. Ervin even had his inauguration party at this club. The patrons love to threaten the police, too. When 011 shut it down a month ago, the fine citizens told the officers that "This is why you burying your own, you fucking with the wrong people."
How long until there is an E2 type disaster at this club? They keep opening and flouting the licensing board because Ervin is their clout.