By Peter Sorkin
Police officers from the 114th Precinct and the New York Police Department Civil Enforcement Unit barricaded El Coliseo at 34-20 Steinway St. after State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Lonschein ruled last week that the club was a nuisance to the community, said Sgt. Roy Pitcoff, who works for the Civil Enforcement Unit.
Pitcoff and his partner, Matthew Fleming, said the undercover operation was sparked when a man was shot and killed outside the club in July.
“That's what initiated the investigation,” Pitcoff said in an interview at the 114th Precinct last Thursday. “A subsequent investigation revealed that there was pervasive and rampant drug use in the bar. An employee was selling out of the bathroom.”
Pitcoff said undercover police officers bought drugs on three different occasions and used this information to convince Lonschein to close the bar down under the Nuisance Abatement Law, which says if an establishment is a nuisance to the community, officials have the right to shut its doors.
Pitcoff said that on Sept. 9, undercover officers allegedly bought drugs from employees at the bar early in the evening and then again a few hours later. Twelve days later on Sept. 17, undercover officers allegedly bought drugs from a worker at the bar, he said.
Pitcoff alleged the managers of the bar were aware of what was going on, “but turned a blind eye” to it.
“The door to the bathroom was always open,” Pitcoff said. “The evidence suggested that drugs were sold openly and notoriously.”
On Sept. 17, a search warrant was issued and seven people, including the seller, who was an employee, and two additional employees were arrested, Pitcoff said. Thirty-five bags of cocaine were confiscated, he said.
Pitcoff and Fleming were also instrumental in the closing of a Flushing nightclub in August after they convinced Lonschein to shut down the Metropolis Nightclub following a history of violent incidents. On Aug. 4 five patrons at Metropolis were stabbed. Two of them were critically injured. Law enforcement officials said at the time that the dispute appeared to have been fueled by men with ties to organized crime families.
Pitcoff said because the closing of El Coliseo is strictly a civil case, fines have not yet been discussed. But the landlord of El Coliseo, who could not be reached for comment, intends to open a legitimate business at the location, Pitcoff said.
“The club is now closed,” Pitcoff said minutes before barricading the doors. “We have the authority to close the establishment for at least a year. Ideally what we want to occur is the opening of a new business, but that's up to the landlord.”
