City shutters barbershop doubling as night club
Police have responded more than a dozen times
An East Side barbershop that city officials say doubled as an illegal afterhours club — where police routinely responded to complaints of gunfire and other problems — has been shut down by court order.
Franklin County Environmental Court on Thursday granted the request of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein's office to issue a restraining order, temporarily vacating and shuttering the barbershop, which is located in the middle of a small commercial strip center at 3301-3309 East Main Street. The center at one point also housed a carryout and a tax preparation business, but the barbershop was the only operating business.
According to the city attorney's office, the barbershop also served as a front for an illicit night club serving alcohol without a liquor permit and an apparent haven for alcohol, drugs, public disturbances and violence.
Over the course of nearly eight months, Columbus police have responded on more than a dozen occasions after receiving complaints from neighboring residents about loud noise, large gatherings, prohibited parking and eight shootings.
The first complaint came on June 3 when officers from Whitehall Police Department were alerted to a group of more than 20 people on the premises.
By Oct. 4, the Columbus Police and Community Together (PACT) Unit began investigating illegal alcohol sales at the site. That's when an undercover detective witnessed between 50 and 60 people — some of whom were reportedly underage — drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. The detective also observed a bathroom, kitchen, DJ booth, dance floor and bar inside the premises, according to the city attorney's office.
That same night, the undercover officer exchanged $20 for two shots of liquor.
The most recent reported disturbance was Sunday afternoon when police were called to a reported shooting at the premises that left two gunshot victims hospitalized after an altercation that started inside.
“It paints the real picture of violence that's stemming from one location,” Klein said in a Thursday evening interview with The Dispatch. “If you're a neighboring business or you're a residential neighbor, you don't want your family around it.”
Columbus fire inspectors also reported a series of state fire code violations at the barbershop premises, including no exit signs and exposed wiring.
The barbershop will remain closed until at least Feb. 1, when a judge could order the property to remain closed for up to a year.
Klein told The Dispatch that several after-hours clubs such as this one have cropped up in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the early months when bars and restaurants were ordered to close. Most of them, however, have not had this level of violence, he said. elagatta@dispatch.com @Ericlagatta