A Portsmouth bar that opened nearly two years ago has closed after a series of violent incidents led to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority revoking its licenses last month.
Notorious Lounge, located in the Manor Village shopping center off Portsmouth Boulevard, opened in October 2021 with VABC licenses for serving wine and beer for consumption on and off the premises and for serving mixed beverages. VABC initiated an investigation into the location after a shooting in the parking lot on June 18.
VABC found that Notorious “failed to take reasonable measures to prevent an act of violence” from occurring on their property, on nearby properties or on any nearby public property. Additionally, Notorious did not sell the amount of food in comparison to alcohol — 45% — required to comply with the terms of its mixed beverage restaurant license, and failed to submit a complete and accurate annual review report for the year ending in April, according to VABC.
At about 1:30 a.m. June 18, a man was heading to his car after leaving Notorious when he was shot in the torso, sustaining serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Asked why this shooting was considered the fault of Notorious, a Portsmouth police spokesperson said “it appears” all involved in the shooting were patrons of Notorious, “as it was the only establishment on that property open at the time.”
A Portsmouth police spokesperson said there had been 13 incidents at the location since it opened in October 2021. Previously, only nine police reports had been taken at that address since 1998, when their records begin, zero of which were for violence. The 13 incidents included eight involving firearms that were either fired, displayed or stolen, and six people have been shot at the location, according to police.
Mike Joynes, an attorney who represented Notorious in this matter, said the owners tried to take steps to improve safety after the instances, but attributed the violence to the surrounding area.
“I think that efforts were made all around by everybody concerned,” Joynes said in an interview Friday. “I think people need to understand, you’ve got to pick your location very carefully then you also have to watch because lots of times things are attributed to the establishment simply because they may be the only place that’s open.”
Last month in Virginia Beach, the VABC revoked the license of West Beach Tavern on Cleveland Street in the wake of a May 7 shooting outside the bar. The owner was later jailed for five days on misdemeanor charges accusing her of illegally selling alcohol and running a disorderly business. She has a court hearing scheduled for August.
In Norfolk, several downtown shootings in 2022 led to a crackdown on nightclubs, with the city pulling operating permits of five establishments. Legacy Restaurant and Lounge on East Plume Street was the latest one to close, shutting down in late June after operating for several months without alcohol sales following a quadruple shooting outside the bar that August.
VABC’s order of summary suspension listed prior incidents at Notorious that include shots being fired at the restaurant during an event on April 17; a physical altercation between patrons and security that resulted in a person being shot by security on April 29; and on April 30 and May 1, multiple reports of patrons being assaulted by security during incidents in which pepper spray was used. On June 11, someone was charged with aggravated assault after a victim was found unconscious on the ground in the parking lot outside Notorious, according to VABC.
The business has fully stopped operating since surrendering its licenses on July 3, the owners confirmed via email, and a phone number listed online for Notorious is no longer in use.
By surrendering their licenses, the owners waived their options to negotiate further or proceed to a formal hearing, and admitted to the violations VABC noted.
Joynes declined to comment on whether the restaurant was at fault in the June 18 shooting, saying that surrendering their licenses means “we take no position.”
“(The owners) are upset, I mean they put a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of money and it’s like it’s beyond their control — it’s other people’s actions — and you try and do everything the right way and other people are sabotaging you either because of the location and the amount of crime that’s around you,” he said. “That’s why people need to be very careful where they decide where to put establishments at this point.”
Joynes added that the law, specifically Virginia Code Section 4.1-225 outlining the reasons VABC can suspend or revoke licenses, “has draconian aspects to it.”
“This law that’s based on public safety has got a lot of problems with it,” adding that businesses like gas stations and supermarkets that have shootings on their properties aren’t held responsible to the degree that restaurants are. “The way that the law is being administered I think is being done in a disproportionate manner.”
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [email protected]
