Can't Shake the Controversy
State launches official investigation into Kung Fu Saloon after vicious attack on patron
Kung Fu Saloon, the downtown arcade bar that just can't seem to shake the controversy, is now in danger of having its liquor license suspended — or even revoked. Over the past 18 months, the bar has come under fire for its seemingly racist door policies and the vicious attack of a customer allegedly by a bar employee.
According to a recent report by KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman, theTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is launching an official investigation to determine whether the November 13 attack that left customer Joey O'Hare, 23, with brain trauma could have been prevented.
Investigators charged Kung Fu employee Robert Camillone, 24, with aggravated assault after he allegedly choked the victim, rendering him unconscious, before dropping him face down on a cement patio. O'Hare underwent brain surgery and spent weeks in the ICU at University Medical Center Brackenridge.
Aside from the recent assault, the joint KVUE and Statesmanreport notes that Kung Fu has been investigated by TABC four times since 2011. Harry Nanos, a captain for the Austin unit of TABC, said on Wednesday, "Each case is looked at on its own merits." "We don’t take these things lightly."
