New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
East Haven bar has liquor license suspended after shooting
EAST HAVEN — The state Department of Consumer Protection has suspended a Main Street bar’s liquor license following gunfire stemming from a fight inside the business last weekend, police said.
East Haven Police Capt. Joseph Murgo said the DCP’s Liquor Control Commission will need to have a hearing regarding the suspension of Rumba Cafe’s liquor license before the bar is allowed to reopen.
“This suspension prohibits Rumba Cafe from operating their business in any capacity until a resolution is reached,” Murgo said.
East Haven police said two 25-year-old New Haven residents, Edwin Colon-Perez and Jose Rodriguez-Diaz, were arrested at the scene early Sunday morning in connection with the shooting and fight. A K-9 officer also found two stolen firearms near the bar, police said.
In a letter to the state, Deputy Police Chief Patrick Tracy said Rumba Cafe poses an “immediate danger” to its customers, the surrounding businesses, pedestrians and vehicular traffic. He said it is the second time the police department has requested the state suspend Rumba’s liquor license.
The first time was after an incident on Oct. 10, 2021, Tracy said, when a fight inside resulted in two men exchanging gunfire outside before fleeing the scene. He said three vehicles, including an occupied one, and the window of a nearby McDonald’s, were struck by bullets. One man was later arrested in connection with the shooting.
Tracy said the two shootings are part of a pattern of violence at the Rumba Cafe, and listed 22 other incidents, mostly fights, that resulted in assault, breach of peace and drug charges. He said monitoring the business has been a drain on the police department’s resources.
In a response to the request, the Department of Consumer Protection said the case police put forward “demonstrates that the premise is operated in a manner that imperils public safety and highlights the need for better control of the premise by the permittee, backer, or their agents” and revoked Rumba Cafe’s liquor license.