CHARLOTTE — A man was taken into custody after shooting at officers in uptown Charlotte early Saturday morning, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
CMPD said it was attempting to break up several fights in a parking lot on North Brevard Street when a suspect retrieved a rifle and fired at police.
The suspect, Tyler Drew, 27, was tackled by an officer and taken into custody.
No one was shot and no officers fired their weapon, but several rounds struck nearby buildings and cars, according to authorities.
A man who lives in the area witnessed the shooting and captured video of the aftermath. He didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
“We went outside and it was complete chaos, cops were coming from everywhere,” he told Channel 9.
Police said they responded to reports about an assault at a nightclub on North Caldwell Street at around 1:30 a.m.
While investigating the assault call, several other fights started in a parking lot on North Brevard Street, CMPD said.
Then, Drew allegedly came back with an assault rifle and fired on police.
Drew was charged with six counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court records, he posted a $67,000 bond and out of jail a day after the shooting. Drew was previously convicted of common law robbery in 2015 and sentenced to six years in prison.
In a release, the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police said it is “disgusted that a convicted felon is out of jail less than 24 hours after directly shooting at CMPD officers.”
It says Mecklenburg County’s justice system is failing.
A CMPD spokesman told Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura the department’s job is to focus on arrests and prosecutions.
“It’s not our position to have a stake on when they may get released,” Lieutenant Steve Fishbach said.
A Mecklenburg County Courts official said they could not comment on Drew’s release, because it is a pending litigation.
The neighbor who took the video following the shooting said he wants to see more action from CMPD in the popular area of uptown.
“The police department is just not doing a good enough job keeping it all in check,” he said.
Police said some of the participants in the fight were leaving Tattooz and Booz, a restaurant that operates as a bar at night.
The owner of the bar, Kristen Wallace-Williams, said she was disappointed about what had happened. She said they are doing their part to keep the environment safe.
“We hire off-duty CMPD officers every Friday and Saturday night to staff this area. We also have in-house security. There is also a CMPD tower right across the street,” she said.
@CMPD Homicide Detectives are conducting an assault with a deadly weapon on a Law Enforcement Officer investigation at the 300 N Brevard Street in the Central Division. On Saturday, March 19, 2022, shortly before 1:32 a.m., Officers responded to 225 N Caldwell Street. #cltnews pic.twitter.com/pTKQCcEcMV
— CMPD News (@CMPD) March 19, 2022
Wallace-Williams said they take security very seriously, but they don’t have much control once people leave the bar.
“We do our part to have security checking everyone down that comes into the building, but they can’t search people’s vehicles. Cause that’s when it becomes beyond our control,” Wallace-Williams said.
While some residents told Channel 9 they would continue to support the bar despite what happened, others did not feel the same way.
The investigation into this incident is active and ongoing. Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call 704-334-1600.
Check back on wsoctv.com for the latest updates.
(WATCH BELOW: CMPD officer involved in shooting in south Charlotte, authorities say)
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