SAN JOSE - On Friday, January 16, 2015, the California Alcoholic Beverage Control suspended the alcoholic beverage license at the Fiesta Night Club for 60 days.
The license is suspended following a shooting that left five people hurt on January 11, 2015 during a Chris Brown concert. Working closely with the San Jose Police Department, ABC agents determined that the licensee permitted disorderly conditions to occur at the premises.
The ABC investigation revealed that the licensee did not have adequate security measures in place for the January 11th event. More than 80 officers responded to the scene, along with fire, and medical units.
"Club owners have to run their businesses and events responsibly to protect the safety of their patrons and the safety of innocent bystanders or neighbors," said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. "Four of the people who were shot, were shot inside the club. Our ABC agents investigate the situation and then take action. By suspending a liquor license, you're getting a licensee's attention, big time, because they lose big time money."
ABC contends, in addition to the violent incident on January 11th, the licensee permitted disorderly house conditions multiple times between January 13, 2014 and January 11, 2015 in violation of California Business and Professions Code Section 25601. Police reports document that there were incidents in January, March, July, and August 2014, involving assault with a deadly weapon, a discharged firearm and public drunkenness.
"These are the kinds of environments our ABC agents are routinely in as they investigate what's happening inside bars and nightclubs," said Kevin Highbaugh, president of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Agents (CABCA), a CSLEA affiliate association. "To conduct these types of investigations requires our agents to be in the thick of things at night, on weekends and holidays. The goal is to keep people safe as they enjoy a night out and to be sure alcoholic beverage control laws are being followed."
In addition to the license being suspended for 60 days at the Fiesta Night Club, the license will be on probation for the next two years.
