Deputy Inspector Fortune
May 18, 2016 By Michael Florio
A dispute between two Bronx crews ended in gunshots outside of an Astoria strip club.
A man was shot in the foot outside of Aces New York, a strip club at 32-10 37th Ave., around 4 a.m. on Saturday, according to Deputy Inspector Peter Fortune, commanding officer of the 114 Precinct.
Two different crews from the Bronx, both affiliated with the Bloods gang, got into a dispute inside the club, Fortune told the Astoria Post. The fight then carried out into the street where shots were fired.
The man who was shot was a patron of the club but was not the intended target, Fortune said.
The precinct has identified a suspect in the shooting.
“We are confident that an arrest will be made and this incident will be closed,” Fortune said last night at Community Board 1’s monthly meeting.
Aces opened in January and is the ninth gentlemen’s club in the precinct, according to Fortune. This location was previously a night club called System.
These clubs hire high-profile DJs or rap artists to perform, attracting large crowds from other neighborhoods, Fortune said. During these events, the precinct has to expend its resources policing the location.
Saturday’s shooting “had nothing to do with Astoria,” Fortune said.
He noted a previous shooting, where a cab driver was shot in the head by a stray bullet outside of Club Purlieu, located on 34th Street, on March 4.
“These incidents at these clubs don’t involve us sitting in this room and that is what’s troublesome to me,” he told the Board.
Numerous residents who live in the vicinity of Aces spoke out against the club at last night’s meeting. They did not wish to give their names given that the crime is gang related.
“This club is dangerous,” one man said. “It brings guns into the neighborhood. You need to do what you can to get this place shut down,” he told the Board.
The Board recommended denial of Ace’s liquor license in December, according to John Katsanos, Chairman of CB1’s Consumer Affairs committee.
Nevertheless, this location was granted a liquor license by the State Liquor Authority.
“We are in the process of speaking with the SLA regarding Aces,” Katsanos said. “They appear to be in violation as their certificate of occupancy does not allow adult [entertainment] use.”
Other residents spoke out about the character of the club.
“The fact that they opened the next night is a disgrace,” a woman who lives near the club said. “They do drugs in their cars on our blocks.”
Another resident added that the club goers often drink outside the club and at times urinate and vomit outside the facility.
Fortune reassured them that the precinct is aware of the issue.
“You have our [114 Precinct] commitment to keep this community safe,” he said. “We will do whatever we can to keep it safe.”
The club could not immediately be reached for comment.
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6 Comments
lock the doors and let them all gun each other down.
Ultimately, we can thank Guiliani for all of this.
You’re ignorant !!!
If Guiliani was in office this place wouldn’t be around !!!!!!
Don’t be Ignorant !
If Giuliani was in office this place wouldn’t be open !
build a wall and keep the Bronx out
Maybe Costa Constantinides should stand outside with his podium?