Heard it Here

The investigation into an assault that left three with stab wounds last month at Ziggy’s Entertainment, a downtown music club on West Ninth Street, is continuing, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.

“I am still conducting interviews with witnesses and victims in this incident so it remains an active and ongoing investigation,” Jacqueline Dolen, the officer conducting the investigation into the incident, wrote in an email.

In the month that has followed the incident, the nightlife scene at Ziggy’s and nearby clubs and bars has returned to normal for many downtown residents and venue owners.

Country music singer Brett Eldredge played at Ziggy’s on Oct. 2 to what was described as a packed audience by some of the attendees. “I don’t think the stabbing last month has affected attendance very much,” said Ali Duran, 22, who attended the concert. “I know that, for me, it didn’t play into my decision to come out tonight.”

On the weekend of Oct. 3, people filled Trade and Fourth Street. “I go out most weekends and I feel like downtown is pretty safe. I’ve never really felt threatened and there are a good amount of police around,” said Andrew Muney, 25, that Friday. “I didn’t know about the stabbing at Ziggy’s, but I haven’t witnessed any big fights downtown.”

For Lea Thulberry, general manager at Finnigan’s Wake on Trade Street, security is a high priority for her business. “We follow the same steps as the other bars and restaurants around here do. We have a security guard, and often an off-duty police officer, by the door making sure that people are fit to be served even before they come in here,” she said.

Although these venue owners don’t report any significant changes to their business following the assault at Ziggy’s, at least one expressed concern about the issue of security in venues where alcohol is served.

“Unfortunately, it can take events like this for people to realize that we have some issues that need to be addressed,” said Tucker Tharpe, owner of The Garage, a live music venue on West Seventh Street. “We don’t run into many security problems, but that may be because we’re a significantly smaller venue. The downtown Bike Patrol does a really great job of patrolling the area and keeping things under control.”

A representative from Ziggy’s Entertainment declined to speak with Heard It Here. However, co-owner Jay Stephens posted on Ziggy’s Facebook page the day after the assault and indicated that at least one victim was an employee. “We are doing all we can to help the authorities apprehend the person(s) responsible,” Stephens wrote. “We have a long history of operating Ziggy’s with no incidents and look forward to serving our guests accordingly in the future.”

According to the police report, three people were stabbed during a fight Sept. 1 just after 1:00 a.m. and taken to Wake Forest Baptist Health. Officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. to find the victims suffering from wounds from an “unidentified cutting instrument,” according to the police report.

YES! Weekly, which according to its website is published by Ziggy’s president and co-owner Charles Womack, published a detailed report on the assault, including information on security camera footage that was turned over to the police. According to the Sept. 1 article, the reggae band Elusive Groove paused their weekly set to call for security after a fight began outside of the main performance hall. The incident, which was captured in approximately 40 seconds of security camera footage shows one man being thrown to the ground after punches are thrown. As he gets up, security staff arrive and grab one of the men. The other man, which YES! Weekly identifies as the suspect, makes a slashing motion as he was pursued by staff members toward the parking lot on Ninth Street. Staff members realized that one of the men suffered serious cuts to the neck and side and called 911, the report said.