From Cody Telep. Follow him on Twitter @codywt, email him at cody[AT]borderstan.com.
Asefu’s Yegna Restaurant/1920DC on 9th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Asefu’s Yegna Restaurant and 1920dc, both operating under a single alcoholic beverage license at 1920 9th Street NW, had their license revoked by the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board in an order released Wednesday.
The revocation was in response to a series of infractions for serving alcohol during prohibited hours.
Temporary Shutdown
Asefu’s and 1920dc had been shut down for 96 hours by Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier late Saturday (1920dc Shut Down After Saturday Morning Homicide) in response to a homicide outside the premises early Saturday morning (Man Shot, Killed Early Saturday, 1900 Block 9th Street NW).
The liquor license revocation, however, was not related to the temporary shutdown. The ABC Board noted that the investigatory case related to the shutdown was moot as a result of the revocation order.
The ABC Board’s order found evidence that owner Asefu Alemayehu allowed the establishment to serve alcohol during unauthorized hours in a 2011 incident. On July 5, 2011, an investigator from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) visited the premises at 3:49 am and witnessed approximately 20 customers inside drinking beer. D.C. law allows for alcohol to only be served until 2:00 am on Tuesdays.
At a hearing in the case in January 2013, the ABC Board rejected a compromise offer that would have led to a shutdown for the establishments between February 18 and February 27, payment of a $3,000 fine, and a transfer of the liquor license.
Why the License was Revoked
In Wednesday’s order, the Board said they were revoking the license under their discretionary authority and because of a legal requirement to do so. Under D.C. law, an establishment automatically loses its liquor license after four serious violations in four years. In addition to the 2011 incident, Alemayehu was convicted of violations related to serving during unauthorized hours in September 2008, May 2009, and April 2010.
The Board expressed disappointment with these repeated violations in its order, noting “by repeatedly remaining open past its Board-approved hours, the Respondent has shown she cannot comply with the law, and that she has no regard for public safety, or the quality of life of residents.” The Board voted 4-1 to accept the order with Chairperson Ruthanne Miller disagreeing on revocation as a penalty.
These violations all occurred before hip hop bar 1920dc opened in July 2012, but because of the shared liquor license, that establishment can no longer serve alcohol. A tweet from 1920dc said the bar is “officially closed due to the revocation of the liquor license.”
February 23 Homicide
In Saturday’s homicide case, 24 year old Cedric Spicer was arrested in the shooting death of 30 year old Joseph Hardin (Arrest Made in Saturday Morning 9th Street NW Homicide). Spicer made an initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court Monday and was charged with first degree murder while armed. He is being held without bond in the D.C. Jail. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for March 14.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
1920dc was temporarily closed after Saturday morning’s homicide in front of the venue on 9th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Cody Telep. Follow him on Twitter @codywt, email him at cody[AT]borderstan.com.
Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier temporarily shut down 1920dc, a hip hop bar 1920 9th Street NW, following a homicide outside the premises early Saturday morning. The shutdown went into effect late Saturday and lasts for 96 hours.
Derek Spicer, 24, was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed in the death of Joseph Hardin, 30 (Arrest Made in Saturday Morning 9th Street Homicide). There are conflicting reports as to the events leading up to the shooting death of Hardin.
A manager of 1920dc told The Washington Post that Hardin had been in an argument in the bar earlier in the night but had left the premises. The manager said he went outside and saw a verbal dispute with Hardin and three other men. A gunman, who the manager claims had not been in the bar that evening, approached Hardin from across the street and shot him multiple times.
However, according to a report from ABC 7, both Hardin and Spicer had been in the bar and began arguing inside the premises before leaving. Based on that report, the shooting occurred about 10 to 15 minutes after both men left the bar.
According to a police report, an officer responding to the shooting saw Spicer running towards him wearing a mask. He was apprehended after dropping a handgun on the street.
Lanier has the authority to temporarily close establishments serving alcohol for up to 96 hours under the Emergency Suspension of Liquor Licenses Act of 2005. Such closures can occur when “The Chief of Police finds that continued operation of this establishment would present an imminent danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the public; that there is an additional imminent danger to the health and welfare of the public by not closing this establishment; and that there is no immediately available measure to ameliorate these findings.”
Lanier has previously used her authority under the Emergency Suspension of Liquor Licenses Act of 2005 to close Heritage India, Mood Lounge, Tabaq Bistro, Indulj and Tap & Parlour after violent incidents. All these establishments later reopened after hearings before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
From Cody Telep. Follow him on Twitter @codywt, email him at cody[AT]borderstan.com.
Looking south on the 1900 block of 9th Street NW, just south of U Street. (File photo, Luis Gomez Photos)
The Metropolitan Police Department announced an arrest in a homicide in the 1900 block of 9th Street NW early Saturday morning (Man Shot, Killed Early Saturday, 1900 Block of 9th Street NW).
MPD patrol officers located the suspect nearby and arrested 24 year old Cedric Spicer of Northwest DC. Spicer is charged with first degree murder while armed. It is not clear if police are searching for additional suspects as the initial crime alert about the incident mentioned two armed suspects.
The victim, 30-year-old Joseph Hardin of Alexandria, was shot multiple times in the head just after 1 am.
When DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived on the scene, Hardin was unconscious and not breathing and he was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where he was pronounced dead.
According to some reports, the shooting occurred at 1920 9th Street NW, outside of hip hop bar 1920 DC. The investigation by MPD continues.
Homicides are rare in the Borderstan area. This was the first in 2013 and just one official homicide occurred in all of 2012 (DC Records Lowest Number of Homicides Since 1961).
Police Alerts, More Information
You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts. You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.
You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
