A violent Halloween weekend brawl in downtown Erie left several people assaulted and one young man shot, prompting neighboring business owners to call for a long-term solution to what they describe as recurring problems in the area.
The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, November 1, at the intersection of 10th and State streets. Erie police say a fight involving approximately 100 people spilled into the street. Several people were assaulted, and a 28-year-old man was shot in his left lower back.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah says investigators are reviewing cellphone and surveillance video that captured many of the people involved.
“As of right now, it’s an active and ongoing investigation. We’re taking a look at a lot of surveillance video. There’s a lot of video that caught a lot of the individuals involved in this, and certainly I would assume that there’s going to be some arrests made in this incident,” Lorah said.
Police expect to make arrests as the investigation continues.
The trouble has raised concerns among other bar and restaurant owners operating near 10th and State streets. They say they work to maintain safe environments and serve alcohol responsibly, but believe problems at a neighboring establishment are hurting the entire downtown.
Several owners are pointing to the Star Lounge and Bar, their newest neighbor, as a recurring trouble spot.
Police have been called to the Star Lounge 10 times since July, according to police data obtained by Erie News Now.
Drew Whiting, who owns 5 Iron Golf on the opposite corner and also serves as CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corporation, says he is frustrated by what he believes is a pattern of problems spilling out onto downtown streets.
“We don’t see this happening coming out of the organizations that hold themselves to a standard that a community should aspire to. We see it happening in the same places over and over and over again because they’re allowing this kind of thing to happen within their walls and it spills into the streets,” Whiting said.
He added that the situation is not a surprise to people who regularly see what’s happening in the area.
Matt Orton, owner of McCoy’s Barrelhouse and Grill, says one possible solution would be having downtown business owners contribute toward additional Erie police presence along the sidewalks.
He believes having uniformed officers stationed outside the bars could discourage confrontations before they turn violent.
“The chances of someone wanting to fight or start a brawl or something if there was, you know, someone in uniform out front would fix a lot of things, I feel like,” Orton said.
He says it’s an idea downtown business owners have wanted to pursue but have never been sure why it couldn’t happen.
Bar owners believe the recurring problems hurt the reputation of the entire downtown entertainment district, including establishments who are operating responsibly.
“These are people that don’t care about the community. They’re out to extract, and at some point they’ll be gone and we’ll be left picking up the pieces,” Whiting said.
According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Keshor Timsina and three other partners — Bishnu Siwakoti, Tek Siwakoti and Durga Upret — each hold a 25% interest in the liquor license for Star Lounge and Bar. The partners have held the license since January 2025.
Erie News Now reached out to Timsina for comment on the November 1 brawl and shooting, as well as the allegations raised by neighboring business owners, but have not yet connected with him.
The shooting and assaults remain under investigation by Erie police, who say they expect surveillance footage to help identify those involved.