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Tigerland bar loses license, under scrutiny after LSU student died following night of underage drinking

1 year 2 months 1 day ago Wednesday, January 25 2023 Jan 25, 2023 January 25, 2023 3:50 PM January 25, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - State regulators are suspending the liquor license of a Tigerland bar where a 19-year-old LSU student was reportedly drinking just hours before investigators say she was sexually assaulted and then fatally struck by a car.

The move comes less than 24 hours after WBRZ first reported that four people were facing charges in the rape investigation. Arrest documents from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said it happened after a night of heavy drinking at Reggie's bar.

Read more on the arrests here

Those reports said 19-year-old Madison Brooks and the four suspects, three of whom are also below the legal drinking age, were all drinking at the bar that night. 

One of the suspects, 18-year-old Kaivon Washington, claims he and a 17-year-old friend had consensual sex with Brooks in the backseat of a car after they gave her a ride from the bar. The suspects claim they then dropped Brooks off at a subdivision along Burbank Drive shortly before she apparently wandered into oncoming traffic.

The sheriff's office reports that Brooks' blood-alcohol level was .319 percent, nearly four times the legal driving limit for an adult. 

On Tuesday, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control released a statement saying it was immediately pulling the bar's liquor license, citing the gravity of the situation and the "potential threat to public safety."

"The Louisiana ATC is working with Baton Rouge ABC and local law enforcement to investigate and share evidence regarding recent incidents at this establishment. Due to the seriousness of the allegations and the potential threat to public safety, an emergency suspension will be issued today. This action immediately suspends the service or sale of alcoholic beverages at this location. An emergency hearing will be held next month to determine what penalties (if any) should be imposed following a presentation of the evidence."

Reggie's issued the following response.

“We continue to cooperate with state and local authorities, as we have since their first request. We look forward to meeting with State ATC and East Baton Rouge ABC officials as soon as possible to address their concerns and to insure they have all of the complete and accurate facts and all information they require to complete their investigation.”

Owners at Reggie's also told WBRZ on Wednesday that Madison Brooks was previously employed at the bar for about a month, from June 2022 to July 2022, as a door worker. The business added that she was let go after getting into an "altercation" with a coworker.

Reggie's was previously the target of a suspension from the ATC in 2017 after police caught underage patrons drinking there

On Monday, LSU President William Tate IV said the university was calling for a meeting of area business owners to try and address the underage drinking problem. 

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