Photo by Flickr user Andrew Bossi

Mood Lounge, a bar—or maybe nightclub, it depends on whom you ask—in Shaw has had its liquor license suspended indefinitely in the wake of an incident last week outside the establishment in which two men were stabbed and critically wounded. The victims, who have not been identified, are expected to recover from their injuries.

In the immediate aftermath, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) sought a temporary closure over the New Year’s weekend, which was implemented at 6 p.m. last Friday. The 96-hour shutdown prevented the bar, which has been a source of frustration to its neighbors around Naylor Court and Blagden Alley NW, from operating on what would have been one of the busiest weekends of the year. Evans also put out a press release calling for the permanent closure of Mood, which is located at 1318 9th Street NW.

The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration pulled Mood’s liquor license late last night. Matt Raymond, a member of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F, wrote on his blog that a photo of the notice of suspension is “one of the most beautiful-and surprising-images I have seen in a long time.”

Last week, Mood Lounge proprietor Abebe Beyene told DCist she had nothing to do with the stabbing incident in the early hours of Dec. 30 and called her business’ block “the most dangerous area.”

Photo via ANC 2F

Not true, say Mood’s neighbors, who attribute an uptick in crime in their neighborhood to the bar since it opened in January 2010. Though Mood was licensed to operate as a bar or tavern, for the most part, Beyene opened only on Fridays and Saturdays and remained open until 3 a.m., hours that would not be out of place in a nightclub. (The lounge was open some weeknights for special events, such as one that preceded last week’s stabbing incident.)

In a comment posted to the Preserving D.C. Stables blog last October, an anonymous nearby resident posted one such observation of commotion related to Mood Lounge:

Two Mood Lounge patrons got into a verbal altercation in the middle of the street while stopped at a red light. They got out of their cars and began challenging each other to a fight while their accomplices screamed back and forth. They held up traffic while screaming profanity and threats at the top of their lungs. This went on for a few minutes until the driver of one of the vehicles, a large black SUV, attempted to run over the man standing by a burgundy Mercedes in front of him. The Mercedes’ driver was able to jump out of the way, got into his car and chased the SUV down the street. Who knows what happened when he caught up. Both men had already threatened to kill each other.

Last week, Cristina Amoruso, who lives nearby, told DCist a few of her own sightings related to the venue.

“They don’t understand they are in a residential area,” she said, referring to intoxicated Mood patrons she’s seen leave the establishment at late hours. “Over Mother’s Day weekend, patrons peed on our flowers and our neighbors’ flowerbeds. Public urination is horrible to the point where we’ve complained to Jack Evans.”

Amoruso also recalled a September incident in which she said she heard a Mood patron leave and yell loudly, “I’m going to fucking break something.” Amoruso said she was worried the patron would target her car, which was parked nearby.

“I could see the guy take off his jacket and shirt,” she said. “The guy just went to Azi’s”—a nearby coffeeshop—”and overturned tables outside.” The table-turning incident was also recounted on the Preserving D.C. Stables blog.

Beyene has 72 hours to request a hearing on the suspension of Mood Lounge’s liquor license, according to an ABRA letter yesterday.