Laga, Attic, the Upstage raided

Hip-hop and Gothic Night were interrupted by the early Sunday raid of Club Laga, the Attic… Hip-hop and Gothic Night were interrupted by the early Sunday raid of Club Laga, the Attic and the Upstage.

The 1 a.m. raid, which was not instigated as a result of the Rhode Island club fire, was part of a number of inspections by the Pittsburgh Nuisance Bar Task Force that are projected to occur during the next few weeks, explained a Pittsburgh Narcotics Unit detective who spoke for the Task Force.

“Club Laga wasn’t a specific target, it was just one of many targets,” he said.

The raid included around 100 officers from various law enforcement agencies, including parole officers, probation officers, the Pittsburgh Narcotics Unit, the Sheriff Department, the Fire Marshal and the Liquor Control Board.

Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney described the raid as an inspection.

“It’s like being audited,” he said. “When you get visited you’ll know whether all of your regulations are covered or not covered.”

Officers arrived at the club, carded patrons and had them leave the building so that inspections could occur. The inspections resulted in 10 safety violations for owner Ron Levick, including outdated fire extinguishers and an inoperable emergency light but no underage drinking citations took place.

Levick has 10 days to correct the violations and has said that most of them have already been dealt with.

“We run this place, we comply with all the laws, we keep things safe and we do what we can,” Levick said.