A lawyer for a man hospitalized after a dispute in a Gambrills pub has asked the county liquor board to determine whether the owners or staff tried to cover-up the incident to protect their off-duty police clientele.
In a letter to the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners, attorney Clarke F. Ahlers said the management at the Irish Channel did not call an ambulance or police after the March 23 assault involving Todd Sullivan, 28, of Odenton.
Sullivan was hospitalized with a concussion, but also suffered bruising to the face and ribs after he was knocked to the ground and attacked, Ahlers wrote April 3. The incident wasn't reported to Anne Arundel County police until the following day when Sullivan's father showed up at the pub.
Ahlers said the pub owner probably did so "to protect the customer base of off-duty police officers who have their parties there."
A number of off-duty Prince George's County police officers were at the pub celebrating a birthday, Ahlers stated, and also claimed off duty officers providing security did not intervene.
Thomas Stack of Silver Spring; Gerard Stack of College Park, and Daniel Early of Arnold hold the liquor license, board records show.
The Stack brothers called the allegations "totally wrong" and said Sullivan rejected an offer to call an ambulance or police, then requested another drink. They said they were unaware of any off-duty police providing security.
Anne Arundel police confirmed off-duty officers from various agencies were present that night but closed their criminal investigation without filing charges, spokesman Justin Mulcahy said. Investigators were unable to determine who was the aggressor in the incident.
Liquor board administrator Judy J. Hagnor said if the board decides there was a violation, it will hold a public hearing. She was unsure whether failing to call police after the assault would be considered a violation of county liquor license rules.
"To me, it's clearly the right thing to do," she said.
In a separate letter, Ahlers also asked Prince George's County police to launch their own investigation of the incident. Lt. Bill Alexander, spokesman for the department, said his agency is conducting an internal probe.
Sullivan told police the fight occurred after he accidentally bumped into a man causing him to spill his beer at the pub in a shopping center off Route 3. The man began swinging at him and he felt another person trip him, knocking him to the floor. That's when several people started punching him and kicking him, according to a March 24 police report.
He was able to provide police with descriptions of three people who attacked him, according to the police report.
Ahlers said the initial police report refers to video surveillance at the bar that could corroborate Sullivan's story. According to the report, police recovered a hard drive for the pub's closed circuit television system.
States Attorney's Office spokeswoman Kristin Fleckenstein said there was no "definitive testimony" that would support criminal charges. She said police were unable to obtain video of the assault.
"It's my understanding that video surveillance at the restaurant was set up, but was not properly operational," Fleckenstein said.