Downtown Tulsa bar security and traffic control concerns

Monday, July 19th 2004, 12:43 pm

By: News On 6

Downtown developers say last weekend's brawl outside a Tulsa bar is an isolated incident. Tulsa Police arrested five people early Sunday morning after a fight broke out near Club Eclipse.

Downtown business owners say this is the first time in a long time they've had a major problem. News on 6 anchor Terry Hood says closing time at downtown bars has developed a reputation as being a time for trouble.

66 Tulsa Police units rushed downtown to break up the crowd near Club Eclipse early Sunday morning. They say 1,200 people were pouring out of the club, trying to get home. Five ended up in jail instead.

This isn't the first time Club Eclipse has had problems. There were also fights when the club opened in March, but the owner says he's stepped up security.

Downtown clubs say they've also worked with police to get the crowd moving before the bars close at 2 AM. Both the police and club owners say the problem is traffic, not security.

Michael Sager, downtown developer: "well I think itâ€™s been really quiet down here for the last 90 days or so. We have incidents here but it seems to be minor compared to incidents in other parts of the city."