LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Bardstown Road in Louisville's Highlands neighborhood saw another weekend with more fights and arrests. While Louisville police believe a lot of it is coming from patrons at two local bars, the owners say it has nothing to do with their businesses.
Louisville Metro Police said Monday 24 arrests were made along the Bardstown Road after a weekend that included the shooting of two men early Sunday morning.
Police said fights near two popular bars, The Hub and Atomic, spilled out onto the streets just after 2:30 a.m. Police said they found a 28-year-old man shot in the leg. A little more than an hour later, around 3:45 a.m., officers found a 29-year-old man shot in the leg. Both were transported to UofL Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
LMPD said both shootings happened after fighting began near the two businesses on Bardstown Road just south of Grinstead Drive. In total, police said they arrested 15 people Saturday night, including four juveniles, and seized four guns.
The department released the following numbers from Friday through Sunday:
- 39 citations
- 21 arrests
- 3 juvenile arrests
- 1 juvenile citation
- 2 vehicles towed
The arrests were made in collaboration between LMPD's Summer Task Force and Fifth Division officers.
"Over the weekend, our officers responded quickly to the incidents on Bardstown Road and assisted those injured. Enforcement matters and our task force did an outstanding job," LMPD said in a statement Monday. "But these situations ultimately come down to individual choices and behavior, and we all share a role in keeping our community safe."
Additionally, LMPD released the following numbers from May 4 through Sunday, June 22:
- Total citations issued: 216
- Total SFT arrests: 101
- Total juvenile citations issued: 18
- Total juvenile arrests: 12
- Total cars towed: 23
- Parking citations: 49
"Safety is the big issue. If people perceive the Highlands is not safe then they can stop coming here. There's plenty of other surrounding neighborhoods they can go to," said Highland Commerce Guild Vice President Nick Morris. "For many years, the Highlands was a destination and we have to be careful we don't lose that."
For neighbors in the area, the problem is becoming way too common.
"I am hoping this is a short-term problem," said Morris.
LMPD's Summer Task Force is out along the Bardstown Road corridor every weekend, on mounted patrol, in four-wheelers and cars, and on foot. Most arrests are happening between 2-5 a.m.
"At some point, I am hoping the people will get the message that they are not welcome here and I think we all have to work on that collaboratively," Morris said.
Louisville Alcoholic Beverage Control says it is actively reviewing the circumstances that happened this weekend. The Louisville Hospitality Association also said it's working closely with authorities to address the large crowds.
In a statement, the association said the size of the crowds has "negatively impacted multiple businesses on the corridor, as they impede traffic and block entrances and exits."
"We commend the work of LMPD and JCSO at the direction of the mayor to combat the ongoing issue. The large majority of these crowds are not bar or restaurant patrons, and are creating an unsafe environment for our regulars, businesses and neighbors," the statement continued, adding that the LHA "does not tolerate or condone violence."
Police said they don't have any suspects in either shooting. Monday, LMPD released photos of a person they say is "armed and dangerous" who was allegedly involved in one of the shootings.
Anyone with information in these or any other cases is encouraged to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's online Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.
Bar owners speak out
The Hub and Atomic on Bardstown Road in Louisville's Highlands neighborhood. (WDRB photo)
Dustin Hensley, co-owner of Atomic Louisville, also issued a statement to WDRB. In it, Hensley refuted claims that the fights happening in the Highlands involved patrons from his bar.
"The fights that are occurring throughout the neighborhood do not involve our customers. These are being caused by people that are simply coming into the neighborhood to walk the sidewalks and cruise the streets," Hensely's statement continued.
Hensley wrote that it is "very unfortunate" that Bardstown Road bars "are being blamed for things occurring off our properties and in the public right of way where we have no control, rather than the bad actors themselves being held accountable for their actions."
"Myself and my fellow owners care about the neighborhood and our customers and want the Highlands to feel safe for both, including our staff. Since these teen street takeovers began occurring almost a year ago, the bars have been blamed simply for attracting people to the neighborhood, instead of us all working together to find a solution that doesn’t involve simply shutting down popular bars that serve thousands of good people every week without an incident on our properties," he said. "The problem has now only gotten worse. We have been working with both ABC and LMPD to do everything in our power to assist with relieving congestion in the public right away since these teen-street-takeovers first began."
Hensley voiced support for a plan that would not allow cars on the street late at night, something he says Nashville does in their bar district. He said it would make Louisville's bar district "less crowded, reduce noise, and make it easier for LMPD to police."
"People need a place to go. We might as well figure out how to make it work," he said. "Because the crowds will just end up in another neighborhood next. People are not just going to go home and do nothing. We all just need a safe place to do it. And that takes us all working together, instead of blaming each other."
In their own statement, the owners for The Hub also said the weekend fights don't involve their patrons, and they "go above and beyond" to create a safe environment.
"We hire off-duty LMPD officers, contract with a security company, use metal detectors at our entrance, ID aggressively, and maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for violence," the statement continued. "On Saturday, one of our off-duty LMPD officers helped break up a fight in a public space on the street near, but not on our property. No one involved in that fight was a patron of The Hub."
The Hub's owners said the first shooting happened "at least two blocks away" from the bar, and by the time the second shooting happened "The Hub had already closed for the night, and all of our guests were out of the building."
"What we are facing is bigger than one night. For months, large crowds have been gathering in the Highlands. It is obvious that these crowds are primarily teenagers, and that they are not patronizing any of the bars and restaurants on Bardstown Road. These street disturbances are negatively impacting our businesses, and they are a problem that we cannot solve on our own. The Hub has been a compliant business and a good neighbor throughout. We have been working directly with ABC, LMPD, our Metro Councilmember and the Mayor's Office to address these ongoing disturbances. We have done our part, and we will keep doing it," the statement continued.
The owners said they are "reaching a breaking point," and are considering a temporary closure "until the city is able to get control of this issue."
"We are now evaluating whether we can responsibly continue to operate under these conditions, and we are seriously considering temporarily closing our doors until the city is able to get control of this issue," their statement read. "That is not a decision any business wants to make, especially a Latino and LGBTQ-owned space that exists to give our community somewhere to gather safely. But the safety of our staff, our patrons, and our neighbors has to come first, and the burden of keeping them safe cannot continue to fall on us alone."
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