NASHUA — On the heels of a large disturbance Saturday night at the Junkyard Nightclub, authorities again responded to the venue this week and arrested 20 underage drinkers.

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission’s Division of Enforcement conducted an enforcement operation Monday at the club at 522 Amherst St., making 20 arrests for minors unlawfully possessing alcohol.

According to a news release issued by the Liquor Commission, one individual was cited for possessing false identification.

“The enforcement effort is part of a continuing strategy to combat youth access to alcohol in and around licensed establishments (that) promote under-21 events,” the release stated.

So far this summer, liquor investigators have made 34 arrests in the establishment or in its parking lot for various offenses, including prohibited sales of alcohol to minors, minors using false identification and minors possessing alcohol. Those involved ranged in age from 15 to 20 years old.

Police actions challenged

Monday’s arrests came just two days after police and club management shut down the facility early because of a disruption during a CD release party.

And now, three people who attended Saturday’s event — including one of six individuals who was arrested that night — are speaking out about what took place, claiming the incident was mishandled by club security and authorities.

David Southworth of Nashua, one of the promoters of Saturday’s show, was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Southworth, a father of four, is fighting the charges, and intends to file a formal complaint with the Nashua Police Department because of the incident.

According to Southworth, 36, there was a crowd of about 250 people dancing at the club, some of them jumping, spinning and moshing to the music, awaiting the headliner band’s performance.

Parents and teenagers were in attendance for the all-ages event, in addition to three security guards, said Southworth. Some of the kids were unintentionally bumping into other dancers, but were not causing any problems, he said.

“It was harmless,” said Southworth, adding one of the security guards called police several times to report the disturbances.

“This was nothing hard-core. These kids were just jumping around and having fun, trying to show support for the band,” said Southworth, who said many police officers soon arrived to address the situation.

Southworth said the event was not violent. He said police contributed to the chaos, yelling vulgar words while shutting down the venue prior to the final performance by the band Our Last Night.

Southworth admits to having words with one of the bouncers, at which time he claims two police officers allegedly tackled him face first onto the ground. He contends that he did not resist arrest. He said the handcuffs around his wrists were attached so tightly that it caused a contusion to his wrist, which was previously broken.

X-rays were taken at the emergency room Monday, documenting the new injury, according to Southworth.

The chief responds

Police Chief John Seusing said his department has dealt with several problems at the Junkyard Nightclub, stressing his officers responded to the venue twice on Saturday at the request of club security.

“We were outnumbered quite a bit,” Seusing said, explaining the need for heavy police presence. “It was a pretty rowdy crowd.”

The security there wanted to have the event shut down because they felt they could no longer handle the people in attendance, according to Seusing, adding local police assisted with the early closure.

Understandably, Seusing said some of the attendees were upset with authorities because of that decision. However, if anyone was tackled by police, Seusing said he is confident that there was a legitimate reason. Still, he explained that the department has a thorough process for dealing with a complaint against an officer, and will review it properly.

Not enough bouncers?

Police Lt. Francis Sullivan said the club did not have enough bouncers to maintain control of the event, and several fights were breaking out.

“It got a little out of hand.” Sullivan said, adding some people became unruly — yelling, swearing and shoving — when the decision was made to shut down the club early.

Sullivan said four people allegedly refused to leave the nightclub after repeatedly being asked to exit, while two individuals were accused of resisting arrest and two others allegedly assaulted police during the incident.

At least one officer was pushed during the disruption, and another was shouldered, said Sullivan.

Paul Lepine of Derry, a guitar player for Destroy the Legacy, said there was no threat to police, and that the crowd was not out-of-hand. He claims that unnecessary confusion erupted.

“The only real chaos is what they were creating,” Lepine said of authorities, adding it could have been handled differently.

Lepine acknowledged that the crowd was chanting, “We’re not leaving,” but added they were young teens, many of them with parents in attendance who already paid a $15 cover charge and had not yet heard the headline band perform.

Sean Hogan, 23, of Windham, agreed, saying it was an unfair situation for many families who traveled to attend the release party.

“It seemed like the whole police force was there,” Hogan said, contending their presence made the situation worse.

Sullivan said a heavy police presence was necessary for the large crowd, which he described as several hundred in attendance, especially since there were such few bouncers on duty.

Shutting it down

Eddie Edwards, director of the Liquor Commission, said Wednesday that his agency is investigating the Saturday night incident, in conjunction with Nashua police.

“I think anytime a local police department feels like a situation could erupt to the point that general public safety is at stake, they work with the licensed establishment to get it under control and take responsible actions,” said Edwards.

The Junkyard Nightclub has no current violations against, according to Edwards, who said his agency will be investigating how the venue operated on Saturday and whether there was a public safety issue.

“That is all part of the review process,” he said.

Southworth admits that he was initially nervous about the small amount of security at the club. He said he and others offered to bring additional band security, but their request was denied by the club because of potential insurance or liability reasons.

Calls to the Junkyard Nightclub went unanswered Wednesday.

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Kimberly Houghton may be reached at khoughton@newstote.com.