SHUT DOWN — City liquor board shuts down controversial Fells Point bar

Thursday, 29 October 2009 19:49

No more cheers for Cheerleaders. By Stephen Janis

The Baltimore City Liquor Board permanently revoked the liquor license of a troubled Fells Point bar raided by Baltimore County police in August, effectively shuttering the establishment for good.

Cheerleaders Bar, which was temporarily closed after Baltimore County police in conjunction with city officers raided the controversial establishment as part of an investigation into the straw purchases of high-powered handguns, was shut down by the board after a unanimous vote following a Thursday afternoon hearing.

“Never in my experience have I seen such an egregious and flagrant violation of the city’s liquor laws," Board Chairman Stephan Fogleman said in a telephone interview shortly after the decision by the three-member panel.

“In just under 16 months this bar has been before our board four separate times for numerous violations,” Fogleman said, noting the $4,700 in fines levied against the bar by the board.

“Ultimately they have to pay the price.”

The bar’s owner Vincent P. Javellana Jr. did not appear at the hearing. However, lawyers for Javellana said that the bar was under new ownership and that he had relinquished day-to-day control. Lawyers argued the new management team had invested $50,000 in the facility, Fogleman said.

But Fogleman said the board believed Javellana was still in charge, adding that "the bar will be shut down sometime this evening.”

The bar was widely criticized for bringing rowdy crowds and chronic violence to the popular downtown entertainment district. But it was an early morning raid by county police in August that garnered Cheerleaders unwanted citywide notoriety.

According to a police report obtained by Investigative Voice recounting the raid, police where seeking four FN 5.7 millimeter guns, handguns that can defeat body armor, according to its manufacturer. The guns had disappeared since they were purchased by the owner of Cheerleaders, Vincent Javellana, and his wife Mary Joyce.

The four FN 5.7's were purchased on May 4 at a Baltimore County gun store. The duo was accompanied by a Filipino national named Christopher Escario, who had entered the United States on a temporary visa and has since returned to the Philippines, the police report said.

Police initially questioned Javellana in May, after the gun store notified authorities about the purchases. At that time, he told police he did not have the guns. Later police learned of a shipment from Baltimore to the Philippines marked "household goods" tied to the couple. When questioned, Javellana admitted that the guns were in the shipment and that he had not filed the proper paperwork to export firearms.

When police retrieved the shipping container, the guns were gone. Police then conducted a search of the bar and the couple's Timonium home. However, when police arrived the house was empty. A neighbor told them the couple had moved out in the middle of the night. Police have since referred the case to Baltimore County prosecutors for charging, according to the police report

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Comments (8)

There is only one version of the FN 5.7 cartridge that will "defeat body armor," and FN Herstal restricts its sale to law enforcement & military agencies. So if there is any "cop killer" ammo out there, it was boosted from a government armory and sold illegally. That particular bullet aside, the ammo used in the FN 5.7 is far from the most powerful handgun ammo available to the public. But then, the media (unfortunately including IV) has a long history of inflating firearms characteristics, like the old myth that a .44 Magnum round could penetrate an engine block.

I think the Baltimore PD has more to worry about than a few handguns that have been shipped outside of the US. How about we talk about the corruption in Fells Point. Where you can stand inside of a Bar and watch bartenders and others sell drugs right in front of the police.

What the fuck to guns have to do with a liquor license????

If you don't like it, "Truth," then go somewhere where gun use is unrestricted.

Like maybe Somalia or Liberia.

Wow, FN 5.7 handguns... What no one here realizes is that these handguns fire one of the smallest rounds out there. They are NOT "high powered." The only reason they can "defeat body armor" is due to the shape of the bullet itself. The bullet is fully metal jacketed and pointed at the tip enabling it to "needle" its way through soft ballistic vests. It will NOT penetrate hard body armor such as SAPI plates. You can get similar bullets for most kinds of handguns by the way. Personally, if I had to choose, I'd much rather get hit by a 5.7 than a 9mm, .40, or .45.

"OMG!!!!!!1!!! Teh EVILS ASALT RIFELS!!!!1!!1!!!eleventy!!1!"

"Truth", your stupidity knows no bounds. We're not talking about Joe Sixpack defending his life and property, this is about organized crime. Go troll somewhere else.

This guy bought 4 cop killer guns that can blow a hole through just about anything.....why on earth does anyone need one of these? If he wanted a gun, he should have purchased a shotgun, not a weapon whose only purpose is to kill human beings.....get a grip psycho

Every instance in history where government seeks to disarm a population was for the purpose of facilitating mass murder of that population. If you actually read what the founders said about the right to bear arms you will find that this right was for the sole purpose of checking despotic governments.
We are in the grasp of such a government - city, county, state, national, international - it's all the same.