COLUMBUS, Ohio — An illegal after-hours club on the west side of Columbus that had dozens of reports of violence and criminal activity over the past two years was shut down Monday, according to City Attorney Zach Klein’s office.
The city’s Property Action Team secured a court order to shut down Sabor Latino, located at 3415 South Boulevard in the Great Western shopping center. There were 171 incidents at the club that were reported to the Columbus Division of Police over the past two years, according to Klein’s office.
Some of the reports include assault, rape, drug use, breaking and entering, threats, fights and shots fired.
Court documents say the club often hosted hundreds of patrons after hours, overcrowding to the point that it was forcibly closed by the Columbus Division of Fire in November.
The business also does not have a liquor permit, but the city noted that it had installed a full bar for illegal sales.
Klein’s office said in July, Ohio Investigative Unit agents entered the club at 2:25 a.m. and made purchases of beer and liquor. In December, Columbus police found hundreds of cars in the parking lot with lines to get inside the building. Patrons reportedly told officers that they had paid for drinks inside the club.
“The operators of this club have shown a total disregard for the law and for the safety of patrons and the surrounding neighborhood, so we took action to ask the court to shut them down permanently as soon as we had the evidence,” said Klein. “We will not hesitate to take further legal action against these operators if they set up shop in another location.”