Crime & Safety
Arguments Lead To Fights Outside Montclair Music Venue: Police
Someone allegedly flashed a gun during the encounter, Montclair police said.
MONTCLAIR, NJ — A series of fights took place outside a music venue in Montclair last weekend, with one person allegedly brandishing a gun before he and his accomplices fled the scene, authorities said.
According to the Montclair Police Department, officers responded to the Meat Locker on Park Street early Sunday morning after getting a report about a fight.
Security workers at the front door told police that the encounter began when they separated two couples after they got into a physical altercation outside of the venue.
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One of the couples fled the scene, got into a car and left the area. However, the other couple – a man and a woman – lingered in front of the venue to collect some of their items, which had been scattered on the ground during the scrape.
The man left the scene, but returned shortly afterwards with two other men, who were wearing ski masks. The trio approached the front of the venue and began harassing the patrons and causing a disturbance, police said.
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When security workers tried to escort them away from the property, another argument broke out and one of the men hit a security worker in the face – igniting a fight between everyone involved.
At this point, one of the men allegedly took a step back from the melee and withdrew a black handgun from his waistband, police said.
The three men and the woman then ran away north on Park Street and got into a “newer” model, two-door, white Nissan Altima with tinted windows and black rims bearing a possible New Jersey registration, authorities said.
Police said the man who allegedly drew the gun was described as a Black male who is 28-years-old. He has a “skinny muscular build” and is 5 feet 10 inches, and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a black ski mask.
The 23-year-old female suspect was described as Hispanic and 5 feet 5 inches, with a face tattoo on her cheek and red curly hair. She was wearing a corset dress with a gray sweater.
Another of the men was described as a 23-year-old white male, about 5 feet 6 inches and with glasses and long, curly hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a skeleton design.
The fourth man was described as a 28-year-old Black male about 5 feet 10 inches with a husky build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a black ski mask.
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