Council reviews Infusion Lounge after police reports of shootings and fights; owner asked to return for follow-up

The Montgomery City Council reviewed public-safety concerns tied to Infusion Lounge during its July 1 meeting and asked the venue’s representatives to meet with council staff and return for another review within 30 days.

Councilmembers, the police chief and the lounge’s representatives discussed multiple police calls for service near the business, including reports classified as “shots fired,” fights and calls involving persons with firearms. Police said they had logged 128 calls tied to the lounge’s address since it opened; lounge management disputed that total and supplied a year-by-year breakdown showing 11 calls in 2023, 98 in 2024 and 21 so far in 2025.

The council hearing began when Terrence Johnson, representing Infusion Lounge, and managers Betty Brodniks and Morgan Dorsy described security measures at the venue, including on-site staff who check IDs and walk the interior and the parking lot. Johnson said some of the people congregating in the large adjoining parking area are patrons of a food truck or other nearby businesses and are not customers of Infusion Lounge.

Police testimony emphasized the volume and severity of calls. Chief Paul said officers pulled calls for the lounge’s address from the time the business opened through June and counted roughly 128 incidents. He told the council that self-generated officer calls — when patrol officers stop because they observe a disturbance — accounted for a sizable share of the total and signaled sustained public-safety pressure in the area.

Councilmembers pressed for clarity about which calls originated inside the lounge versus in adjacent parking lots and how dispatch locations are recorded. Chief Paul said dispatch entries often reflect the landmark given by callers, which can list “Infusion” even when the incident occurred in the broader parking area. He also explained categories used in the police logs, saying “investigation unknown” could cover traffic stops, suspicious-subject reports and other entries and that 13 calls were logged as involving a subject with a gun and four were logged as shots fired over the reviewed period.

District 6 councilmember Miss Riley said she had received complaints from a parent and wanted a private meeting to discuss details not appropriate for public session. She asked Infusion Lounge to propose a practical patron-identification step — such as hand stamps or stickers — so officers and council can distinguish people who were inside the business from others in the shared parking areas. Miss Riley scheduled a meeting with Infusion’s representatives and city staff and asked that Infusion return to the council within 30 days.

Several councilmembers and the lounge’s representatives noted the role of state open-carry law in complicating enforcement: lounge management said patrons may legally carry firearms under Alabama law, and council members acknowledged limits on the city’s authority over open carry.

The council carried the item over for two weeks on procedural grounds and directed the lounge to meet with staff and return with the requested measures and updates. No new licensing action was taken at the meeting.