New York nightclub closes early after Pepper Bomb attack

Black Beyond, an all-black line-up event on Thursday, February the 3rd will go down as a memorable night for one New York nightclub, for all the wrong reasons. 

Nowadays venue took action as reports of attendees experiencing coughing fits, itching, and burning throats came to the fore, resulting in the event ending prematurely. 

“At first, people were trickling out to the back patio,” Lamb, one of the night’s performers, told Resident Advisor. “I thought they were just getting some air or were part of a really big group who came together and were planning to leave. Then you could see a bit of commotion stirring–people were asking each other if they’d begun coughing and sneezing too. When the consensus was ‘yeah,’ almost everybody moved outside.” 

The ‘mace-like’ fumes intensified as staff rushed to open doors to air the venue out. Several witnesses reported seeing a powder-like substance close to the patio doors – now believed to be pepper bomb dust. 

“It felt like they intentionally set that mace bomb off at peak time when the floor was the fullest I had seen it in the two hours I had been there,” MHYSA, one-half of SCRAAATCH, told RA. 

On February the 7th, Black Beyond released a tweet to address the situation. 

“Attendees were quickly affected by the pepper spray and exhibited symptoms typical of exposure to the weapon, including coughing, shortness of breath, and eye irritation,” the statement reads. “This ultimately prevented our loyal supporters, attendants, and artists from safely enjoying a night of celebration and black communion.” 

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