Joe Downtown: Alleged beating involving bar personnel under investigation

By Joe Schoenmann

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 | 3:57 p.m.

Police are investigating an alleged beating Sunday morning involving employees at a popular downtown bar.

Officer Jose Hernandez, Metro Police spokesman, said police were called at 5 a.m. to the Commonwealth bar, 525 Fremont St., although the incident reportedly happened at 2:53 a.m.

Hernandez said the matter remained under investigation so reports weren’t yet available to the public. He provided basic details of the event.

Hernandez said it began with “some sort of altercation” inside the bar.

“The victim left the bar and some of the employees went out with him or after him and ended up making contact with the person,” Hernandez said, adding that the man “is claiming he was beat up.”

“It is always our intention to maintain the safest environment possible for all guests at Commonwealth,” The Commonwealth said in a statement Tuesday afternoon through its spokeswoman, Stephanie Wilson. The statement added that Commonwealth's owners were “fully cooperating” with police “but due to this being a legal matter, we are not able to comment any further.”

The Sun heard reports that some people have watched video of the incident taken by one or two people with their cell phones. That video was not immediately available, and Hernandez urged anyone with video to call police.

The Sun spoke to one man who witnessed the incident but he refused to divulge details, saying he had already talked to “the right people.”

The incident had downtown employees and residents buzzing Tuesday morning. One downtown employee reported seeing Metro at the scene as late as 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

Several also said ambulances were called to the scene; Hernandez said there was no indication anyone was hospitalized. Hernandez also said he found no indication that any arrests were made.

Locks were being changed on the bar’s front door Tuesday morning; a worker said the change was related to what happened Sunday morning but did not say how.

Commonwealth opened late last year at the corner of Sixth and Fremont streets. Upscale and popular, the bar is already considered a success in emerging redevelopment of the area.

City documents list 16 owners of the business, including Pasquale Rotella, founder of Electric Daisy Carnival and boyfriend to former reality TV star Holly Madison, as well as the owners of Vegas Seven magazine.

Joe Schoenmann doesn’t just cover downtown, he lives and works there. Schoenmann is Greenspun Media Group’s embedded downtown journalist, working from an office in the Emergency Arts building.