KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Three people were arrested at The Ball Gentleman's Club on Sunday night, a gentlemen's club on Alcoa Highway. Records show it's part of a more significant pattern of disturbances at the club. Within the last year, authorities have been there at least 15 times.
10News wanted to know what The Ball had to say about the latest problem in a long string of issues. The president of the club, John Nichols, provided a statement about Sunday's incident. It is below.
"The individuals who were involved in the disturbance Sunday morning were not customers or patrons of the business. They were trespassers who had been denied entrance into the business and had been repeatedly asked to leave the premises."
Reports from the Knoxville Police Department show three people were arrested for causing trouble. Two women and one man were arrested for aggravated assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
The Ball has been a consistent source of trouble for Knoxville authorities. Records dating back to 2017 show that police have responded to 55 disturbances, one assault, three shootings, 11 loud parties and one overdose.
Last year in July, police responded to a shooting where they said a person died and two others were hurt. A neighbor who lives nearby said she could hear it.
“Six shots like, 'Boom, boom, bam, bam, bam, bam,' and then it stopped for a couple of minutes. And by the time I got up, I heard it again. I thought, 'No, that's gunshots,'” Cindy McLaughlin said.
People like McLaughlin said the violence, petty crimes and car crashes in the parking lot worry them. They said they want to see the place shut down.