A woman was wounded in the leg — apparently by fragments of a police bullet — early Friday morning during a disturbance near a nightclub south of downtown Denver.
Police said they have had an increased presence, including foot patrols, in that area since March because of a spike in violent crime near 11th Avenue and Broadway.
About 2 a.m., Denver police were observing as people left Club Vinyl, 1082 Broadway, when a man fired a handgun into the air in the parking lot behind an Arby’s restaurant.
As the man lowered his handgun and pointed it toward the crowd and officers, police fired at him, according to Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson. It has not yet been determined whether the man fired at officers.
A woman, who is not being identified, was standing in the area and was hit in the leg. Police believe the fragments that hit her came from police bullets. She was treated at Denver Health Medical Center, but her injuries were not life-threatening.
The suspect attempted to flee, and police caught him in an alley near West 11th Avenue and Bannock Street. A handgun was recovered nearby.
The unnamed suspect was in custody Friday night, pending charges.
Police are investigating reports of a disturbance inside the nightclub shortly before the shots were fired in the alley, Jackson said.
“There had been an incident in the nightclub — we know someone had a gun in there,” said Jackson.
Regas Christou, owner of Club Vinyl, could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to Denver police, violent crime has increased in the area recently.
From January to June, there were 72 calls for assault, with 11 of those being aggravated assault, in addition to 101 disturbance calls and 81 fight calls, police said.
A special operations plan was developed to address safety issues and put into operation in March, Jackson said.
“We just want to have officers in the area — last night they were already there. They can either prevent (crime) or help avoid things being worse,” Jackson said.
A local business owner and friend of Christou, who asked not to be identified, said Christou has previously tried to hire off-duty officers to work in the nightclub, but Denver police won’t let him.
After Police Chief Gerry Whitman took office, he singled out Christou’s clubs as being among the few where he won’t allow police officers to provide off-duty security, often citing violent conditions in the clubs.
Five people were shot in December 2008 when gunfire erupted after a concert at Club Vinyl.
Yesenia Robles: yrobles@denverpost.com
