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Council holds show‑cause hearing for XS Ultra Lounge after reported shooting; owner ordered to provide video to police
Summary
At a May 19 hearing, neighbors described repeated disturbances at XS Ultra Lounge and an owner representative said his licensed security shot a person outside the front door; police said they had no dispatch from the club and detectives are investigating. Council gave the owner two weeks to provide video evidence to MPD; possible license action remains pending.
The Montgomery City Council held a show‑cause hearing May 19 over calls to revoke the business license of XS Ultra Lounge (3420 Atlanta Highway) after residents and council members raised repeated neighborhood complaints and a reported shooting in March.
Eduardo Brown, who spoke for XS Ultra Lounge, said a person approached the front door with a firearm and that the club’s armed security — an ex‑law‑enforcement officer — shot the person to protect patrons. "Security shot him," Brown said, describing the sequence as shots outside the front door and indicating three eyewitnesses were willing to cooperate with investigators.
MPD representatives told the council they received no dispatch call from the club on the night in question and first learned of the incident after hospital staff reported a shooting victim. "We were dispatched to the hospital," MPD said; detectives later responded to the establishment after receiving hospital information and an investigation remains active.
Neighbors and the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association described multiple late‑night parties, gun presence and traffic on Atlanta Highway. Billie Crawford of the neighborhood association told the council the March event left streets gridlocked with "more than 100 to 140 cars" and that residents are "tired of it," urging closure of the location.
Club counsel and other council members disputed some of the report counts and noted that many calls cited conduct outside the business and that an individual sitting outside with a firearm while open carry is legal does not by itself establish a license violation. Counsel said many of the recorded calls proved not to be illegal acts inside the establishment and emphasized that businesses cannot always control off‑premises conduct.
After extended questioning about the evidence, council president set a concrete next step: the owner was given two weeks to provide the requested video footage to the police department. Council member Ed Wardle said, "We're gonna give you 2 weeks to get your video to the police department... If not, then it's a definite pool license [revocation]."
Why it matters: the hearing addressed neighborhood public‑safety concerns and the city's enforcement options for licensed venues. Council took no immediate vote to revoke the license but set a short deadline for evidence to inform any further action.
The council said it will reconvene consideration of the business's license if MPD or staff identify additional evidence after reviewing the footage.
