Dance floor fight at Dream Nite Club in downtown Ann Arbor results in 3 injuries
A man cut two men in the face and a woman in the leg with a sharp object during a fight on the dance floor early Sunday at Dream Nite Club on South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor police said.
The victims were treated at University of Michigan Hospital and police are working to identify the man responsible, Det. Sgt. Brian Jatczak said.
Dream Nite Club is located at 314 S. Fourth Ave. in downtown Ann Arbor.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
When the fight was over, Jatczak said, the 20-year-old man realized he had a serious cut on one of his cheeks and a cut on his neck. The man's 21-year-old friend, also from Superior Township, had a cut above one of his eyes.
A 21-year-old Ann Arbor woman who got pulled into the fight, had a gash on her leg, police said. Her 21-year-old friend, who is from Novi, cut her knee, but did not seek medical attention, Jatczak said.
The three victims who were treated at the hospital arranged for their own transportation there, police said. Officers didn't learn about the incident until 10 minutes after it occurred, when the Novi woman was pulled over in the city for running a red light and told police she was on her way to the hospital to visit her friend, Jatczak said.
Jatczak said he did not have details on the fight earlier in the night and did not know why the man returned and assaulted the victim.
Vickash Mangray, who runs the club and formerly operated it under the name Studio 4, could not be reached for comment today. Studio 4 closed in June 2010 after city officials raised concerns about problems there, including large fights outside.
It reopened in fall as Dream Nite Club. More recently, city officials considered recommending non-renewal of its liquor license due to unpaid back taxes before reaching a payment agreement with Jeff Mangray.
Attorney James Cmejrek, who represented the Dream Nite Club in earlier litigation, could not immediately be reached for comment this afternoon.
City Council member Tony Derezinski, who serves on the city's liquor license review committee, said he wasn't aware of the incident, but planned to talk to Police Chief Barnett Jones about it. He said the fight is something that will be taken under consideration when the club's liquor license comes up for renewal.
"We cannot tolerate this kind of conduct," he said.
The suspect was described as black, bald, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 25 to 30 years of age and roughly 240 pounds. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants, police said, and may have been carrying a white towel.
Police say he left in an older maroon Ford SUV, Eddie Bauer edition, with a tan interior. It's unclear whether anyone was in the SUV with him, Jatczak said.
Anyone with information can call the police department's tip line at (734) 794-6939.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
4 Fingers
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:22 p.m.
Here we go again....and I see this continuing through the summer as they'll have to have 'out of town' promoters putting these parties together while the Students are gone. Who from the Ann Arbor area frequents this place??
someguy734
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 11:53 a.m.
actually most of the people in that club are from ann arbor....
Jimmy McNulty
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 11:16 a.m.
OK, the 2 most important questions are: 1) Did the Novi woman pulled over for running the red light on the way to the hospital actually get a ticket? and 2) What was a 20 year-old doing in the nightclub, assuming it was not an under 21 event?
Jimmy McNulty
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 10:47 a.m.
"the Novi woman was pulled over in the city for running a red light and told police she was on her way to the hospital to visit her friend, Jatczak said." According to this, the wounded friend was already at the hospital.
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 12:20 p.m.
Or did the police provide an escort so she could get her wounded friend there faster?
racerx
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 9:44 a.m.
@Christy King, did you have the same thoughts from the annual party on Oakland St., where just recently a couple of people were stabbed? Or are you aware that this same party each year has typically the same issues each time too? Let's change that "clientele" why we're at it. Oh wait. The difference is UM students!
treetowncartel
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:25 a.m.
Bring back Capitol Market!!
doh
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
Hey Folks - Ann Arbor is perfectly safe unless you are in or around a bar between 1am and 2:30 am.
tomnspats
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 10:50 p.m.
This will only get worse as we continue to cut our public safety employes.
Ralph
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 10:46 p.m.
Go to Depot Town. Seldom a problem there.
treetowncartel
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:27 a.m.
I agree, the onlyu thing you might get struck by is a train or a falling wall of that decrepid Beale building.
leaguebus
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 9:13 p.m.
By the way, I can remember plenty of fights in Bimbos back in the day. How about Clint's Club on Ann? I don't think I was ever in there when there wasn't a fight. Nothing has changed, people get drunk and fight.
leaguebus
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 9:06 p.m.
This has nothing to do with a safe downtown. These are drunks at 1:30 AM and bouncers not talking to each other about who can come in and who can't. Once a guy is tossed, the bouncers tell the doorman and he keeps the name on a list. Obviously, they didn't do this. If I was the owner, I would hire a skilled bouncer that can run his club safely and who can train the rest of the staff. Plus, the people who were cut are probably lawyering up even as we speak. This is natures way of telling the owner that he need to spend some money on good security.
ViSHa
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 12:09 a.m.
too bad patrick swayze is no longer with us ;)
microtini
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:55 p.m.
This is Ann Arbor. Close the clubs.
someguy734
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
"this is ann arbor" what is that supposed to mean? its a big town/ small city....your average city has at least one club
Anthony
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:52 p.m.
Glad to see this kind of riff-raff happening outside of Necto. I don't know what they do, but it seems safer than the other local hot spots.
someguy734
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 11:55 a.m.
actually there was a shooting at necto....nobody got hit...nobody got caught either so yeah...
Michael
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 10:27 p.m.
To add onto my previous reply: Necto permanently bans offenders - they can never enter the club again. I don't know the exact rule, but it seems to be on first offense for violent behavior. Necto also typically has multiple bouncers per room, with additional bouncers who patrol the place. The only time I've seen an altercation at Necto, three bouncers had arrived and separated the two individuals before the first punch was thrown ( / before it had escalated beyond a shouting match).
Michael
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 10:16 p.m.
Necto is far stricter and far better about enforcing rules than the other area clubs are. Hence, Necto doesn't have these issues.
Christy King
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:35 p.m.
Just because you change the name it doesn't mean that you're going to change the clientelle or their behavior. Keep it closed or turn it into something else, but stop allowing clubs to run there and then scratch your head wondering why nothing has change with a name change. Silly Rabbits. And by Rabbits, I mean those letting Vickash Mangray have a liquor license.
Elaine F. Owsley
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.
How much rope is the city willing to give this owner? Two clubs, both scenes of fighting, tax problems (don't pay them until they come to get you?). Swift action by the police and city might send a message that Ann Arbor doesn't put up with this kind of thing. Ya think?
lynel
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:30 p.m.
It doesn't sound like they even called the police.
smokeblwr
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:42 p.m.
5'5" 240lbs? Who is this guy? C Lee Green?!?!? "Forget" him!!!
smokeblwr
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:43 p.m.
Uhhh....C Lo Forget me.
f4phantomII
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:35 p.m.
May have been carrying a white towel?
gladys
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:34 p.m.
What a shame Maude's can't be brought back - lovely decor, wonderful food - many a good time was had there.
a2scio
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:20 p.m.
Let's stop giving the same owners a liquor license if they have had oneplace closed down by the city!
tom swift jr.
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 6:51 p.m.
I've pretty much stopped taking my wife to ann arbor for dinner in the evening. In all reality, this town is no longer safe. Perhaps if we reduced the number of Police officers it would... oh, wait... ...never mind...
Wolf's Bane
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:44 p.m.
Carry mace and look out for trouble. No big thing. A2 is still pretty safe.
Rod Johnson
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 3 a.m.
Yeah, it's terrifying here. A sorority girl might break a heel and stumble into you. It's that bad on the mean streets of downtown.
treetowncartel
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:24 a.m.
Come on over to Ypsi, the roughians are not walkiang the streets of Depot Town and the people are not so pretentious.
Christy King
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:57 p.m.
Well that's going a bit far. I'm a 35 female and I'm not scared walking downtown at night alone. I stay out of the alleys, to be sure, but really, Ann Arbor isn't Compton.
pvitaly
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
Thanks aawolve, I agree with you. I bet your comment won't be deleted like mine was.
aawolve
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
Afraid to walk around in Ann Arbor? Our country continues down the emasculation path, with a devastating effect on manhoods nationwide.
a2scio
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
It's your loss. Downtown Ann Arbor has so many great restaurants, art, music, movies and more. I am usually downtown a couple eves a week - just not at the dance/fight clubs.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 6:45 p.m.
Yes, sounds like the perp was trying to cut some ribs for himself. Wonder if this is the same crew who put on a show in the Maynard structure the other night.
Jessica Webster
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 6:41 p.m.
Remember when this building housed Maude's? Best ribs in town.
Rod Johnson
Tue, May 3, 2011 : 2:58 a.m.
I miss the amaretto mousse.
Tom Teague
Mon, May 2, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
@Jessica, those ribs are now on the menu at Carson's on Plymouth Road.