Bartender Attacked By Patrons in a DC Bar

Working at a bar can be a rewarding job, but it can also be a very risky one. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and can make people want to fight. One bartender found this out the hard way when she was attacked in Washington, DC, NBC Washington reported.

The bartender was working on the second floor of Cloak & Dagger in May when the attack happened. Surveillance video showed three women harassing the bartender. The attack began when two of the women started yelling and demanding that their tab get closed.

The women were leaning over the bar and trying to get to the bartender. The third woman then came up and started hitting the bartender and flung her purse over the bar. She was struck in the head by the punch. Then one of the women took a mason jar and threw it at the bartender, hitting her again in the head. A barstool was thrown at her, but it missed.

By this point, bar security had made it up to the second floor and escorted the women out. The police are now looking to arrest all three women for simple assault. The bartender suffered a concussion, bruising, and a cut lip.

Most bars have bouncers to stop things from getting this far, but the location of the bar may have made it difficult to reach the bartender before things get out of control.

Paul Michaels, founder and CEO of National Bartenders says, “Bartenders also have a right to self-defense, but bars need to ensure that security can reach any part of the bar easily to de-escalate such incidents. It was good that the bar had security video to help with the case.”

It is usually the role of bouncers to keep patrons and staff safe in a bar, but some bartenders also get self-defense training in case the bouncers can’t reach them or if they work in a bar too small to have their own security. Female bartenders are at a higher risk of harassment, so many of them opt to get self-defense classes. Sometimes they have to use them.

If you do choose to defend yourself, you should know your rights and responsibilities for your local jurisdiction. Your local bouncer would be a great place to learn about these as they have to face the potential of violence with every shift. Many of them have learned conflict resolution techniques to help drunk people avoid fights while getting them out of the venue.

Everyone at the bar wants to have a good time and feel safe. We hope that this incident teaches this bar to have a little more security up on the second floor.