Photo by a loves dc

If you own a bar or a restaurant and a fight breaks out, just shooing the troublemakers out the door may not be enough. If things get worse once they get outside, you may see your business shut down by the police.

Over the weekend, a shooting outside of the Heritage India restaurant in Dupont Circle left one person dead and five injured. The restaurant has been shuttered since yesterday, having been closed by D.C Police Chief Cathy Lanier under emergency powers she has to shut down for 96 hours because, as she stated in reference to Heritage India, “continued operation of this establishment would present an imminent danger to the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

Heritage India certainly isn’t the first place that Lanier has closed because of violent incidents. The Stadium Club in Northeast was closed recently after a non-fatal stabbing. After a beating death outside of DC9 last year, it was closed. So too was the H Street Martini Lounge after a stabbing in late 2009. In 2005, it was Club U and Kili’s Kafe; in 2007, it was Club 1919 and H2O. (We’ve asked MPD for a comprehensive list of places Lanier has closed, but haven’t yet heard back. We’ll update if we do.)

Shutting down a bar, club or restaurant after violence breaks out doesn’t always happen, though. After Washington Redskins punt returner Brandon Banks and another man were stabbed outside of the Park at Fourteenth this February, the club remained open. In 2007, Lanier bucked demands from Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) that she close a Columbia Heights bar outside of which a man was stabbed. (In a 2009 article in The Eagle, Lanier pointed out that the number of closures were low relative to the number of licensed establishments in the District.)

Ultimately, it seems to come down to how serious the crime was and where it was perpetrated — and that has provoked complaints from some bar owners. After H2O’s shuttering in 2007, owner Abdul Khanu protested that the shooting that Lanier used to justify her move actually happened outside of the club after a number of patrons had been kicked out. The circumstances surrounding the shooting at Heritage India seem similar — most of the violence broke out after the perpetrators were kicked out of the restaurant.

Regardless of what motivates Lanier to use her powers, the bars and restaurants still have to contend with another higher authority — the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. After violent incidents, the board regularly holds hearing to determine whether or not to revoke or suspend a liquor license. At its November 16 meeting, for example, the board discussed a fight outside the Love nightclub and the stabbing outside the Stadium Club. Both kept their liquor licenses, but were told to submit improved security plans to the board.

In many cases, having a liquor license suspended for even a short time is enough to close a troublesome bar or restaurant for good.