06-11-08 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Thao said that he is working to improve the security situation at Bangkok Avenue. He said that he fired his security company and is planning on hiring a Deputy to work security for him. He said that he needs to provide entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights because he can't make it financially on the restaurant business during the week. We expressed our concern about the difficulties that his staff has in monitoring excessive consumption of alcohol by patrons and preventing access to alcohol by minors when there are so few employees relative to the size of the crowds, and when beer is sold in multiple quantities to a single patron. He said that he will consider new, better, ways of vending beer, but that he usually has only four wait staff working on busy nights and selling by the 12- pack and case is the most efficient way to sell beer to a large crowd. Joel Hanson told Mr. Thao that his liquor license was due for review and that the police calls at Bangkok Avenue would be part of the review process. At Joel Hanson's request, I have reviewed the 2008 police reports associated with the Bangkok Avenue Restaurant at 2900 Rice Street in Little Canada. Additionally, 1 reviewed a report from late 2007, on an assault that occurred on the evening of Christmas day. I should emphasize that we can only report on the incidents that we know about. There could very well be more incidents that we are unaware of because it appears that the restaurant staff is discouraging calls to police on incidents that occur at the restaurant. 1 have attached a printout of the police calls to 2900 Rice Street for 2008, year to date. Bangkok Avenue Restaurant is located in a strip mall with other businesses, all of which share the address of 2900 Rice. On the printout, I have starred the police calls where a report was written involving Bangkok Avenue. 1 reviewed eleven reports written over the past six months. Five of the reports involved assaults or fights. All five incidents involved multiple combatants. In three of the incidents 10 -12 people were involved in mutual combat. In two of the cases multiple assailants jumped a single victim. In four out of the five fights, weapons were used. In all four of those incidents, glass beer bottles were used as weapons. In one parking lot fight, baseball bats were used in addition to beer bottles. In one of the assaults, the victim received multiple severe lacerations from being assaulted with broken beer bottles. The victim's lacerations required over three dozen staples and sutures to close. The Minnesota Gang Strike Force is investigating that assault as a felony -level Aggravated Assault. 6