CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Downtown bar In Between Tavern, alleging the business, which has been under new ownership since June 2025, is a public nuisance and should be shut down.
The 24-page lawsuit documents a myriad of violations the bar has accumulated since August 2025.
"In Between Tavern has been associated with numerous incidents of violence, disorder and noise complaints, liquor violations, and other illegal conduct," the lawsuit reads.
The owner of the bar, Darrien Wilkins, who is also named as a defendant in the complaint, said over the phone on Friday that there is no reason to shut his bar down. He said the city is blaming his business because "they're not doing their job."
The complaint was filed days after a deadly shooting on Third Street, near In Between Tavern.
The shooting took the life of 29-year-old Tobias Hood and injured one other person. The lawsuit said "management failures" at the business are to blame for "repeated incidents of violence" in the area, including an Oct. 17 drive-by shooting and a Jan. 19 incident where six to eight bar patrons "trampeled and robbed" a person of $1,000.
WATCH: Could In Between Tavern be forced to close?
"There's activity that's associated with the conduct of the bars (that is), in some way, driving what you're seeing on the streets, right? So those two things aren't isolated," Mark Manning, chief counsel for the city law department's quality of life division, said. "While there are certainly things that to the public might appear like it's unconnected to the bar ... there's other facts that are driving that."
Wilkins said on the nights of both deadly shootings, the people involved never entered In Between Tavern. He said neither shooting had anything to do with the bar.
Wilkins did not address the Jan. 19 incident.
The lawsuit says other violations committed by the business include various noise complaints, parking infractions that led to over a dozen cars being towed, permitting the use of hookah pipes without proper permits, serving alcohol to underage customers and staying open past 2:30 a.m. on multiple occasions.
Wilkins said his attorney is working on filing a response in court. He said he cares about the safety of his patrons.
As evidence, he pointed us to August 2025 emails between the bar and a city employee. In the emails, In Between Tavern staff are asking about securing a Cincinnati police security detail for weekend nights. The email conversations continued on for about a month, but it's unclear why nothing came of it.
Wilkins said the business offered to pay above the normal hourly rate for security detail, but the city never provided any. The Cincinnati Police Department did not return our request for comment Friday.
City Manager Sheryl Long shared the following statement with WCPO on Friday:
"The Mayor and Council have been clear in their priority to address properties and businesses that create nuisance conditions in our neighborhoods. I’m proud of the police department and Quality of Life division of our law department who continue to work collaboratively to listen to the community, document violations and take legal action when necessary. We want and welcome businesses operating in the City and expect everyone to follow the law and work with us to create a safer, more vibrant Cincinnati."
Wilkins previously owned nightlife establishment Clutch OTR from September 2023 to early 2024, according to the complaint. During that time, the city claims patrons were illegally permitted to smoke marijuana indoors, the business employed an unlicensed, armed guard and several shootings injuring four people were connected to the establishment's operations.
According to the complaint, the city is seeking that In Between Tavern be declared a public nuisance and ordered to shut down for one year.
In Between Tavern isn’t the only alleged problem establishment on the city’s radar. The bar joins a list of nearly two dozen businesses facing legal action or liquor license objections in recent years.
WATCH: Cincinnati identifies 23 establishments as nuisance properties
"We're going to do what we need to do to protect the citizens of the city," Manning said.
The city provided a list of 23 establishments, including hookah bars, nightclubs, lounges and taverns that have faced either lawsuits or administrative objections to liquor license issuance or transfers since the beginning of 2023. The list includes previously reported cases involving Bohemian Hookah Bar in Clifton and Miami Hookah Bar in Roselawn.
In each case, the enforcement process began with police verification of reported problems, followed by attempts to work with business owners to address community concerns, Manning said.
"We are driven by facts," Manning said. "The police department goes out and verifies what's actually happening, and then has a conversation with the professionals that operate these businesses and says, 'Here are the issues. How can we address these as best we can?'"
Manning said the police department then tries to inform the community about what is being addressed with the business, and usually invites the business to interact with the community directly.
According to Manning, the city attempts to resolve issues before taking formal legal action, but enforcement becomes necessary when other measures fail.
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"We don't want to take an enforcement action that we don't think is necessary, but sometimes that is necessary, and those actions are taken," Manning said.
The 23 establishments facing action are located across Cincinnati neighborhoods, including the Central Business District, Clifton, Over-the-Rhine, Roselawn, Northside and others. The list excludes cases resolved before filing and does not include other types of liquor establishments, such as carry-outs and gas stations.
