Omaha council revokes Crush Ultra Lounge liquor license after police and neighbor complaints

The Omaha City Council voted 6 to 0 to cancel the Class C liquor license held by Throwback Empire LLC, doing business as Crush Ultra Lounge, after city attorneys and Omaha police presented a months-long record of disturbances, incidents of violence near the club and a conviction for serving after hours.

City law department attorney David Grauman told the council the hearing was prompted by a pattern of incidents tied to the club and said council members could consider earlier administrative proceedings and recent police evidence in deciding whether cancellation was warranted. “We will show ... a worsening pattern of disturbances culminating in life‑threatening violence involving shootings and stabbings at or outside of Crush,” Grauman said during opening remarks.

The council’s action follows prior proceedings involving the business. City records and certified copies admitted at the hearing show a long‑form application process in June 2023, a Nebraska Liquor Control Commission decision in September 2023 that granted a license with restrictions, and a later Liquor Commission order in April 2024 that modified some restrictions. The city also presented a certified journal entry showing a conviction tied to an after‑hours open container charge, dated Dec. 18, 2024.

Omaha police officers who regularly patrol the Riverfront district testified about multiple fights, pepper‑spray deployments by the club’s security, incidents that spilled…