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The Lodge responds to Chippewa incident, claims police were called in advance

Posted at 8:33 AM, Jun 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-22 12:39:53-04

A manager at The Lodge Bar and Grill has issued a two-page statement in response to the incident on Chippewa Street in Buffalo early Monday morning.

Police were called to break up a large crowd on Chippewa Street after 3 a.m. on Monday, where several fights were taking place. 7 Eyewitness News captured video of shots being fired there. One person was arrested. No one was hurt, however, the incident sparked concerns about the safety of Buffalo's entertainment district.

Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen told 7 Eyewitness Newshe believes there should be a lawthat requires bars and clubs hosting promoted events, like the one at the Lodge Sunday night into Monday morning, to report those events to the Buffalo Police Department in advance.

Matthew Krupp, General Manager at The Lodge, says police were notified, and that notifying police when a party lets out is part of their secruity director's policy. In a statement, he says "[our security director's] procedure . . . was to call dispatch at 2:45 a.m. to request two patrol cars to show a presence on the street when our patrons exited so they felt safe. Tonight, we called at 2:45 a.m. as normal and were told that unless we had an ongoing emergency we wouldn't dispatch cars simply because we asked them to, that it didn't work that way and to call 911 if we needed to."

Krupp also says a few small fights broke out on Chippewa after the event ended, and that his own security team assisted in breaking them up until police arrived. 

The event held Sunday night was part of a monthly DJ series. The security staff at the event included 20 guards, and capacity was limited to 300 people.

Krupp's full statement can be read here: