Belligerent customers create spike in police intervention
Bar-hopping Boulderites be warned: don’t let your fun impede on someone else’s, or be bounced.
Boulder police were called to Catacombs Bar, 2115 13th St., on three occasions during the month of November to assist management in extracting violent customers who refused to leave.
Catacombs’ General Manager Mr. Bode, who requested that his first name not be printed for security reasons, said that this number is high.
“We really don’t have this problem very often,” Bode said, referring to the need to have authorities assist out unruly customers. “I’d say about once every month or two, generously.”
Bode explained that Catacombs tends to attract a crowd of locals more than college students, and that this helps to keep the atmosphere at the bar mellower than some other Boulder establishments.
“We run a neighborhood-type joint,” Bode said. “We see a lot of regulars. When you stop in a place for five minutes after work a couple of times a week, you tend to foster a sort of sense of ownership.”
This, he said, works to keep the atmosphere in Catacombs rather low key, but this month was an exception.
The first violent incident occurred on Thursday, Nov. 15. Julie Brooks, Boulder Police spokeswoman, said that Mason Lewis, attempted to gain entry to the bar without any form of identification.
When Lewis, a 30-year-old Golden man, was denied entry, he began to swear and cause a scene insisting he be let in. Bode was called to the door and was backhanded by Lewis when he was asked to leave.
Lewis proceeded to sit in a chair just inside the entrance, insisting on being served. Police were soon called but Lewis was gone by the time they arrived.
The next night Lewis returned to the bar despite being told repeatedly by Bode not to return. The same thing happened. He sat himself in the same chair where police found him hollering insults and threats at those around him.
When police questioned him, he refused to provide his name and stated that he was leaving. Officers told him it was too late for that. He assumed a fighting stance and proceeded to threaten and swear at the officers, telling one that he intended to stab him in the eye. He was then taken to jail.
The following Saturday there were more problems.
Shane Reeves, 34, became belligerent just before close and attempted to provoke fights with other patrons. He was asked to leave and responded to the request with threats and curses.
A bouncer escorted him out and Bode followed Reeves onto the sidewalk with the intention of photographing him so that he would not be let into the bar in the future.
When Reeves, who had been walking backwards away from the establishment shouting that he was going to come back and kill the bouncer, saw Bode, he rushed forward and attacked him.
Bode managed with some difficulty to detain Reeves until authorities arrived. Both men were taken to the hospital. Reeves was then taken to jail.
Bode described what it takes to be thrown out of his bar in response to the two incidents.
“On a baseline level, we ask customers to leave when their behavior starts negatively affecting other customers,” Bode said. “What this looks like varies by situation; you get a feel for it after years in the business. Sometimes people come in here, and you can tell they’re looking to fight; others get violent when they are cut off. If anyone begins threatening other customers or my staff, they’re out. We’ll ask them to leave, and if they refuse, we’ll either escort them out or call the cops to do it, depending on the circumstances.”
The worst incident of this nature that Bode could recall took place in November 2002.
“We had a guy who had never been served here walk in off the street and immediately get into an altercation with a woman at the bar,” Bode said. “He pulled a knife on her, and when I tried to intervene he attempted to stab me.”
Luckily for Bode, he did not succeed, and the man went to jail.
Amelia Charles, a continuing education student who frequents the bar, has never seen anything resembling this kind of violence displayed there.
“It’s always real chill down there,” Charles said. “That’s why I go.”
Bode echoed Charles’ description of the ambiance at the Catacombs Bar.
“The thing about it . these are exceedingly rare cases,” Bode said. “We want everyone to have a fun time, but also a safe time. It’s when somebody’s fun time starts to intrude on somebody else’s safe time, that we need to intervene.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Andrew Frankel at Andrew.frankel@colorado.edu.
