LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A federal lawsuit is shedding new light on what a victim calls a "gangster-like assault" that took place at an east Louisville restaurant last year.

Police said two people — a man and a woman — were shot outside J. Alexander's restaurant near Oxmoor Center, just after 8:30 p.m. Monday, June 21, 2021.

According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, one of the shooting victims was Glenn Altman. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Altman, alleges that the restaurant failed to secure and protect its patrons. 

Altman was with his family at the restaurant that night. A woman at another table was "carrying a rifle," and the others sitting with her were also armed, according to the suit.

At one point during the evening, a "disturbance" broke out at that table, the suit claims. 

A group of armed men had gathered in the parking lot behind parked cars, intending to "attack and execute" the woman when she walked out the door, according to the lawsuit.  

Altman's attorney, Douglas Miller, wrote in the suit that Altman and the woman walked out of the restaurant at the same time, and the men opened fire.

According to the lawsuit, 43 rounds were fired and six cars were damaged. 

The lawsuit says Altman was shot by a stray bullet in the "gangster like assault."

"His family saw him fall and hit the ground and the initial reaction was that he had been shot to death," the lawsuit states.

Both Altman and a female victim were taken to University of Louisville Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police. No one else was injured. A weapon was recovered at the scene.

To date, no one has been arrested, according to a spokeswoman for the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Altman's lawsuit faults the restaurant for, among other things, failing to install security cameras inside and outside of the building, failing to provide security, failing to warn Altman of the danger and failing to "follow recommendations and guidelines promulgated by the National Restaurant Association."

It also claims that, both before and after the shootings, the restaurant's parking lot "had been the location of various criminal acts, including theft."

As a result, Altman's lawsuit is asking for damages for his permanent leg injury, pain and suffering, mental anguish and humiliation "including flashbacks, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder," medical bills and other expenses.

Attorneys for J. Alexander's argue the restaurant had no duty to prevent "unforeseeable criminal activity," according to court records.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.