City Seeks Emergency Suspension of Fusion Ultra Lounge's Liquor License

Fusion Ultra Lounge: Friendly neighborhood bar. GB

The Fusion Ultra Lounge sat closed Saturday night after Seattle city attorney Pete Holmes asked the Washington State Liquor Control Board on Friday to issue an emergency suspension of the troubled University District nightclub’s liquor license.

The club has seen more than its share of violence over the last few months, including a shooting in early January and another one more recently that involved three victims, two of whom were reportedly 15 and 16 years old.

“Nearly every Friday and Saturday night I have had to assign officers to be at [Fusion] and its surrounding parking lots to control the large crowds and the fights, shootings, and general disturbances occurring there,” SPD North Precinct commander Dave Emerick wrote in a letter to the WSLCB.

But the problems are far from a recent development. Here’s just a brief snapshot from an SPD Blotter post dated nearly a year ago:

In July, a fight involving 30 people spilled out of the club into a parking lot. One man was dragged into a nearby garage and beaten unconscious. He also sustained several facial fractures in the attack. Despite the fact that the brawl started inside the club, Fusion security staff members were not able to provide police with much useful information about the incident. In December, an extremely intoxicated patron stood outside of the club taunting security staff after he was ejected. He then punched and spat blood on another patron walking out of the club. A month later, someone fired off a gun in a parking lot next to Fusion, striking a vehicle. When police returned to the club to talk to employees about the shooting, they’d locked up and gone home. Support The Stranger More than ever, we depend on your support to help fund our coverage. Support local, independent media with a one-time or recurring donation. Thank you! Then in February, police responded to a fight involving 50 people, which spilled out of the club onto the street. Later in the month, several men left Fusion and got into a fight at a gas station. During the fight, one suspect used a baseball bat to shatter a car windshield, leaving a victim with shards of broken glass in his eye.

And the reports go back even further.

Owner Daniel Yarbrough, who was last year granted the liquor license despite the city’s attempt to block the transfer, has a long history with troublesome establishments, including Citrus in South Lake Union, which was declared a “Chronic Public Nuisance” before it was shut down. Other problem spots associated with Yarbrough include White Center’s Club Evo and the El Reventon Nightclub in Georgetown, both of which drew ire from their respective communities and were eventually shut down.