PORTSMOUTH, Va. - — Virginia ABC is cracking down on Notorious Lounge on Portsmouth Boulevard following a series of violent incidents this year.
The most serious incident happened in April when Portsmouth police said a security guard fired his gun during an altercation. Five people were hurt.
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5 shot during altercation inside Portsmouth lounge: Police
Documents from Virginia ABC detail other incidents including in April when gunshots were fired at the building during an event.
On April 30 and May 1, ABC said multiple people inside were assaulted by security and pepper spray was used.
On June 11, someone was hurt and found unconscious in the parking lot, the documents say.
In the documents, ABC wrote, "there exists a continuing threat to public safety" and at first temporarily suspended their ABC license before it was revoked earlier this month.
The documents say Portsmouth Police agreed with the suspension.
A spokesperson for the department said since October 2021, when they were issued their ABC license, there have been 13 incidents where police were taken. Eight of them involved guns in some capacity and six people were shot at the location since it opened.
An attorney for the owners didn't respond to a request for comment.
The Virginian Pilot first reported the restaurant's ABC license had been revoked.
Notorious Lounge is yet another Hampton Roads establishment raising scrutiny from Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control.
West Beach Tavern in Virginia Beach had its ABC license taken away on June 1. That followed a shooting at the establishment in May that injured two people.
Last year,four people were shot outside the restaurant.
It follows other local efforts in Hampton Roads, including in Norfolk where the city shut down several places following violence in downtown last year.
