Police Push for Nightclub’s Closure

Police officials urged the City Council on Tuesday night to shut down the party at the Stargate nightclub, which has been plagued by all-too-frequent fights and gang violence.

Officers told council members that they had been called to the club 51 times this year alone, far more than calls to any other local nightclub. Three of those incidents involved assaults with a deadly weapon, officers said.

Sgt. Claude Robillard said management has been far from cooperative in arresting the troublemakers, telling employees not to talk to police. “I have never experienced the lack of cooperation that I have with the management at Stargate, and I say that with emphasis,” he said.

State officials also joined in the chorus of complaints during the three-hour hearing.

Ed Macias, an official with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, told the council that the agency has five ongoing investigations of the Stargate, one for serving alcohol to a 19-year-old woman. Investigators said they have also seen “contrary behavior” by exotic dancers inside the club.

But Chuck Cohen, the attorney representing Stargate owner Emre Sarihan, asked city officials to give the club a chance to change its management problems.

“We’re not trying to condone anything that has happened before,” Cohen said. “What we are trying to present here is a change of attitude, working with authorities and the Sheriff’s Department.”

The city Planning Commission voted earlier to revoke the Stargate’s permits for dancing and alcohol, but the club appealed the decision to the council.

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies said the Stargate--one of the only nightclubs in Thousand Oaks--had gotten completely out of hand, with even the security guards accused of violent behavior and at times threatening deputies. About 100 people were involved in one brawl, police said.

But Stargate management argued that police have exaggerated the problems. They said the establishment suffered from no more incidents than any other nightclub. Moreover, they contended that the club had become much more sedate since the commission voted to revoke its permits.

Police disagreed and council members sided with them, saying the complaints were simply too extensive to be unfounded.

The council was expected to vote on the club’s fate late Tuesday night.