Manager Of Club In Chris Brown / Drake Fight Arrested; Quinn Reviewing Bottle Service Guidelines
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A day after a bottle tossing fight between two music artists over the singer Rihanna, the manager of a SoHo club has been arrested and the City Council Speaker is looking at the future of bottle service at clubs, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported.
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Jonathan Cantor, the manager of the club called Greenhouse, was hauled in to the 1st Precinct station house at about 2 a.m. Friday.
Police had responded to complaints about loud music blaring from his club at 150 Varick Street. Cantor was not held because of the noise violations, but because he had two outstanding arrest warrants against him, Cornell reported.
The NYPD told 1010 WINS police were at the club conducting a business inspection. Cantor was issued two summons, he was found to be in violation of fire code and against alcohol beverage control, according to police.
Cantor's arrest came just a day after a bottle-smashing brawl had turned his basement venue, WIP, into a bloody battleground.
It all started when hip hop stars Chris Brown and Drake allegedly fought with fists and bottles over the affections of Rihanna.
Drake allegedly had refused a $2,000 bottle of champagne that Brown sent to his table and returned it with a taunting note about his romance with Rihanna, who is Chris Brown's ex-girlfriend.
Brown and several other club-goers were left injured, Cornell reported.
Police are still investigating the brawl, including claims from some witnesses who reported hearing gunshots at the nightclub.
Meanwhile, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has expressed concerns over the melee and has convened an emergency meeting, to be held next week, about the future of bottle service.
The meeting will involve Quinn's office, the NYPD, and the nightlife industry.
"The purpose of this meeting is to send a clear message to all nightclub patrons that bottles cannot be used as weapons and to determine if the guidelines surrounding bottle service need to be updated or reworked," Quinn said in a statement Friday.
"This emergency meeting builds upon the Council's work beginning in 2006, when we convened a summit meeting with the NYPD, the nightlife industry and other community stakeholders. Our collaboration resulted in the publication of the 'Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments,' a handbook created to assist the nightlife industry in enhancing safety and preventing illegal activity in their premises," she added.
Quinn said that since that effort was launched, the nightlife industry and police have met on an ongoing basis and the best practices were formally updated in 2011.
She said the best practices have resulted in a significant reduction in incidents in and around nightlife establishments.
"In light of this week's incident, I am pleased that both law enforcement and industry officials immediately agreed to meet with me and discuss this important public safety issue as soon as possible," Quinn said. "I want to thank the NYPD and the Nightlife Association for working together to examine if new steps are needed to ensure New York City's nightlife remains safe for all."
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