LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville Metro ABC suspended the alcoholic beverage license of Atomic, a bar on Bardstown Road, following a weekend shooting that drew a large police response to the entertainment district.
The Emergency Suspension Order took effect immediately Tuesday and halts alcohol sales at the business while the case moves through the administrative process.
The suspension follows a weekend of violence and disorder along the Bardstown Road corridor. Louisville Metro Police reported two separate shootings early Sunday morning near Bardstown Road and Grinstead Drive after fights broke out in the area. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police also reported multiple arrests and recovered several firearms during enforcement efforts over the weekend.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city will continue taking action when public safety is threatened.
“We will not tolerate conditions at any establishment that threaten the safety of our community,” Greenberg said in a statement announcing the suspension.
Louisville Metro ABC Director Brad Silveria said licensed businesses are expected to operate in a manner that protects both patrons and the surrounding neighborhood.
The action came as city leaders, police and business owners continue to debate the source of recurring late-night violence in the Highlands. Police have linked recent fights and shootings to activity near Atomic and another nearby business, while bar owners have argued many of the people involved are not their customers and are gathering in the area independently of their establishments.
According to the city, the order is the 12th Emergency Suspension Order issued under Mayor Greenberg’s Safe Louisville Plan, an initiative aimed at addressing crime and unsafe conditions at licensed establishments.
Louisville Metro ABC said its investigation remains ongoing.
“If any business or entity, no matter the type, creates and fosters an unsafe environment for its neighbors, then they are subject to the repercussions of their actions,” a spokesperson for the Louisville Hospitality Association said in a statement. “We will continue to work with and support our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and our city leaders to guarantee that safety is a top priority for our members, our staff, our patrons, and our community.”
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