The Columbus City Attorney's office announced it got a temporary court order to shut down a Weinland Park hookah bar and it intends to go after a nearby pizzeria too.
The city got the order from the Franklin County Municipal Court to shut down the MIA Hookah Café at the corner of 5th Avenue and Summit Street. Multiple violent incidents, including a triple homicide in May, have occurred near the bar.
City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement that when the city had the evidence to tie the business itself to the triple homicide, his office took action.
On May 18, Columbus Police were called to the two businesses and found five people were shot. Three people died from their injuries.
“Public safety is our top priority, so the moment we had the evidence to tie this business to the crime and violence in that area, we took action. Now, the hookah bar is shut down and this corner of Weinland Park is safer for residents and families,” Klein said.
Klein also said his office is working to get Del Baggio Pizzeria across the street declared as a public nuisance. A preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled in the coming weeks.
Klein's office said besides the homicides, Columbus police have been called to the bar 19 times for reports of shots fired, assaults, fights and reports of stolen vehicles.
According to Klein's office, Del Baggio has also seen an uptick in criminal activity. Columbus Police have been called to that business a dozen times recently for assaults, a shooting and a report that a person was armed with a gun.
