The media has
covered a number of stories related to nightclub bouncers and
violence we’ve heard about the horrible murder of Imette St.
Guillian following a night at the Falls nightclub in Soho, and
the tragic shooting of 4 people at Opus 22 in Chelsea.
Surely there are
many bouncers who are good and decent people, the nightclub
world itself is a universe that revolves around late-night
drinking, and suppressed inhibitions, so the possibility of
violence will never be too far away. Cases involving bouncers
and nightclubs almost always, involve young people. Here is a
case involving a 21 year-old college student who could not
escape harm and violence during a night of partying at a club.
John Ross (not
his real name) was at the JPOD Tavern in Queens when an argument
broke out between his friends and employees of the Tavern. John
thought that “discretion was the better part of valor”, so he
got his car to leave but first wanted to pick up his friends.
When he pulled his car around to the front, he saw that the
bouncer was pummeling one of his friends. John got out of his
car when suddenly a friend of the bouncer -who happened to be an
off-duty policeman -pulled out a gun and told John to stop in
his tracks. He fired two shots that hit John, who later died
from the gunshot wounds. Reports revealed that John was carrying
a pellet gun.
At trial it was
disputed which of the two men pulled out his gun first – the cop
or John? The defense claimed John got out of his car with the
gun in hand. The plaintiff’s trial attorney agreed and pointed
out that it was the off-duty police officer that pulled out his
gun first and that a second gunshot wound to John was the one
that killed him. Records showed that a second shot was
unnecessary to ensure policeman’s self-defense.
The case was won
on behalf of John’s father. But the moral is that my if an
argument breaks out at a bar late at night with strangers,
bouncers, or even friends – keep in mind that people are often
not themselves at that hour. Some bouncers are drawn to the
nightclub life because they crave power and may also enjoy
intimidating people. Should things escalate in one of these
situations, remember that if someone is seriously injured or
killed, proving who was right will be of little consolation.
