A bar where 19-year-old Lousiana State University student Madison Brooks met three underage males accused of participating in her rape has a history of previous violent incidents.
The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announced on Tuesday that it was issuing an emergency suspension for Reggie’s bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following the tragic death of Brooks on 15 January.
According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, four men Brooks had met at the bar allegedly raped her before dropping her off in a severely intoxicated state along a road in a neighbourhood near Pelican Lakes Parkway. Brooks was hit by a vehicle and died hours later in the hospital.
Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, and a 17-year-old male who was not identified because he is a minor have since been charged with third-degree rape. Meanwhile, Mr Washington’s uncle Everette Lee, 28, and Casen Carver, 18, were charged with principal to rape, an arrest warrant obtained by KSLA stated.
It has since emerged that it is not the first that Reggie’s – located in the area dubbed Tigerland – has come under fire over violent events.
The Daily Mail reports that the popular bar also had its license suspended in 2017 after police executed a raid and found minors drinking inside.
In May last year, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot outside the bar, while another woman was wounded.
Before that, a woman was allegedly raped in the parking lot and a man pointed a loaded gun at patrons, according toThe Advocate.
In 2016, LSU tight end Dillon Gordon was allegedly stabbed at the bar.
In addition to having its liquor license removed, LSU President William F Tate has said that the university will also investigate why the establishment may have been serving alcohol to minors on the night of Brooks’ death.
“Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you. By all accounts, she was an amazing young woman with limitless potential,” Mr Tate said in a statement. “She should not have been taken from us in this way. What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice.”
He continued: “In the coming days, we will call a meeting with these business owners to discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students. We will work openly against any business that doesn’t join us in efforts toward creating a safer environment for our students. Enough is enough.”
Kris Perret, an attorney for Reggie’s Bar, said in a statement to NOLA.com that the owner “has fully cooperated with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and the East Baton Rouge ABC office since their first requests for assistance in their ongoing investigations and will continue to do so”.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Perrett for comment.
On Tuesday, three adult suspects appeared in court where their bond was set and prosecutors vowed to upgrade charges against them.
At the bond hearing, 19th Judicial District Judge Brad Myers said that he had watched a video filmed by one of the four suspects inside the car with Brooks.
The judge said that the video shows the suspects “callously” laughing at the drunk 19-year-old woman as she slurred her words, reported local outlet WAFB.
The judge concluded that – based on the video, footage from Reggie’s bar and statements made by Mr Carver to investigators – it was clear that a crime had occurred that fateful night.
“The evidence to me is clear,” he said.
The suspects had hoped that the footage shot inside the car would prove their innocence with an attorney for Mr Washington and the 17-year-old claiming hours earlier that it shows Brooks consented to have sex with the suspects.
Attorney Ron Haley told KSLA ahead of the court appearance that the video shows Brooks “was intoxicated” but not to point that she could not “lawfully give consent or answer questions” during sex with the suspects.
On Wednesday, Mr Lee and Mr Carter, who are facing charges of principal to rape, were released after posting bonds of $75,000 and $50,000, respectively. Mr Washington and the underage suspect, accused of rape in the third degree, remain in jail, local news station WBRZ reported.
