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 into traffic and at least one shooting reported near the club. Officer Nicholas Lozzi described arriving on multiple nights to crowds and fights and said officers deployed pepperball launchers and made arrests to regain control. “It’s the most recent. Yes,” he said when asked whether Crush presently generated more severe disturbance calls than other venues.

Sergeant Daniel Rubin, who oversees Riverfront patrol assignments, told the council that calls and incidents at the Crush location have increased in frequency and severity. He provided a CAD printout of dispatch entries for the address the city provided to the council and said he had repeatedly assigned officers to monitor the area. Rubin testified that officers stationed near the club had responded rapidly to fights and a shooting and that the department had been forced to allocate resources preemptively because of the pattern of incidents.

The club’s attorney, William Bianco, urged the council not to cancel the license and accused police of “predatory policing,” arguing officers were surveilling the club and targeting its largely Black clientele. “Change the music, you change the clientele,” Bianco said in his opening argument, contending that ordering the business to alter music choices would amount to removing the club’s customer base. He also said the business had invested in renovations and in staff: owner Tony Pham testified Crush spent about $400,000 on renovations and kept employees on the payroll during the remodel; he said the business had a roughly $17,000 monthly lease.

Employees and the owner also disputed some of the incident descriptions and highlighted cooperative actions, including turning over security camera footage after a shooting. Manager Sandy Duffman described producing videos and said the club had made efforts to work with law enforcement and security, while Tony Pham said he had tried to sell or sublease the business after repeated controversy and that some potential buyers withdrew when the business drew media attention.

Neighborhood and business representatives urged a different result. Holly Barrett, executive director of the Omaha Downtown Improvement District, said the DID had spent money on private security and other measures to make the area more welcoming, and that complaints about noise and violent incidents around the club had continued. “We receive complaints about noise, human waste, violent tavern reports with weapons and assaults,” Barrett told the council. Nearby property owner Dan Emanuel, through an affidavit read into the record, said he has “cleaned up litter, broken glass, vomit, and blood from my sidewalk” and “has heard gunfire.”

After law department and police testimony, the council took public testimony from supporters and opponents. Several patrons and supporters said they had positive experiences at the club, while multiple neighbors and business representatives described repeated problems tied to weekend crowds.

Councilmember Jim Begley moved to cancel the license; the motion was seconded and the council voted Hugg, Johnson, Melton, Roe, Begley and the council president—6 in total—in favor. The resolution was adopted 6–0.

The council’s resolution directs the city clerk and relevant departments to implement the cancellation. Council discussion included references to prior administrative proceedings and to the liquor commission’s prior orders; law department counsel told the council those proceedings and records were admissible background evidence as part of the council’s broader assessment of whether the licensee had complied with rules and representations made to the city and to state regulators.

The owner and his attorneys said they plan to pursue available legal avenues; the council action does not itself resolve potential civil or criminal matters that may arise from incidents described in the hearing.

A longer record of the hearing—including certified records submitted to the council, police reports and multiple body‑worn‑camera clips—was entered into the record during the meeting and will be available under the city clerk’s file for the item.

Votes and immediate steps: the council voted 6–0 to cancel Throwback Empire LLC’s Class C liquor license for the premises known as Crush Ultra Lounge. The order of cancellation will be processed as the city clerk and law department direct.