Nightclub at 705 Closes

After yet another episode that involved police at Club 705 on Pier Avenue last Saturday morning, club management opted to voluntarily close the nightclub portion of the enterprise, leaving the restaurant open for business, according to multiple sources that include media and the interim Hermosa Beach police chief.

Hermosa Beach police are still investigating the latest incident at the business, in which many people were reportedly involved in a fight. Someone involved in the incident also reported that someone pointed a gun at them, according to a newspaper account.

In response to the commotion caused by patrons spilling out of the business, more Hermosa police officers were called to the location. These officers saw fighting and people running out of the club, said interim HB Police Chief Steve Johnson.

According to Johnson, several 705 patrons were seen running to a commercial bus parked in the vicinity during the incident.

The interim police chief told local media that an officer smelled the odor of pepper spray and that police officers then began to disperse the group, employing pepper spray against a combatant, who managed to escape into the crowd.

HBPD was later contacted by a patron who said a pistol had been pointed by an unknown subject. HBPD has not located the person who allegedly pointed the firearm, said Johnson.

Due to the incident and six other violent incidents this year at the club, Johnson ordered the nightclub closed under Hermosa Beach Municipal Code 17.40.080, section C, announcing his action at Tuesday’s planning commission meeting. Club management had already decided to voluntarily shutter the nightclub, he said.

Johnson told Patch that the HB Planning Commission "has the authority to recommend a  hearing regarding the 705 Club" and that the business could be prevented from reopening or be subject to changes in its Conditional Use Permit. 

A Leadership Hermosa Beach event scheduled for the nightclub apparently has been changed to Saint Rocke, Johnson said.

Club 705 will have a public hearing before the planning commission on Jan. 15 and is unlikely to reopen before then, said City Manager Tom Bakaly.