The Diamond Lounge – a hotbed for violent crime, gang activity

The Diamond Lounge, a popular nightclub in Annandale, has been the target of numerous complaints in recent years about violence, gang activity, noise, and ABC violations.

According to information obtained by a community member via a Freedom of Information Act request, the Fairfax County Police Department reported close to 300 calls for service at the Diamond Lounge, at 7203 Little River Turnpike, since 2018. There were 25 calls for service between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.

“Aside from noise, drunkenness and fights, many of these calls are for really serious offenses including robberies, assaults, stolen vehicles, shootings, stabbings, and weapons violations,” the resident said. “The establishment appears to be a long-standing and consistent source of problems.” 

The Franconia Police District reported the following:

• There were six assault incidences in 2023, on July 31, Aug. 10, Sept. 18, Nov. 5, and Nov. 25 (involving an assault on a law enforcement officer).
• Police responded to five fights in 2022, including a fight on Feb. 19 that started in a bathroom and involved 50 people. One of the those involved was a suspected MS-13 member who was arrested on several violent felony warrants from Loudoun County.
• There was a stabbing on June 19, 2022, and an incident involving a weapon discharge/brandishing/concealing on Aug. 21, 2022.
• The Diamond Lounge was cited for noise violations three times in 2022 and once in 2023.
• Other incidents involved larceny, destruction of property, and disorderly conduct.

The restaurant was cited by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority six times between November 2014 and February 2021 – for selling alcohol to minors, selling alcohol after hours, allowing patrons to drink until 7 a.m., and failing to comply with ABC reporting requirements.

Among other crimes disclosed via FOIA reports, a 27-year-old male was shot in the Diamond Lounge parking lot on Oct. 30, 2020, after he had been ejected from the nearby Casa Grande restaurant.

The ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement reported a shooting at the Diamond Lounge parking lot shortly after 2 a.m. on May 31, 2023.

The suspect in that incident had been hit with a glass bottle, returned to his vehicle, drove around the parking lot, and fired into the crowd from a moving vehicle. One male in the crowd was struck by a stray bullet that went completely through his foot.

Police the suspect with under-age DUI, underage possession of alcohol, multiple firearm offenses, and malicious wounding.

According to the police report, both the suspect and victim are known MS-13 gang members.  

ABC initiated a public safety investigation of the incident that included a canvass of nearby businesses. The owner of one store reported a stray bullet hit a building. She said she was thinking of locking the door during business hours because she feels unsafe.

Diamond Lounge manager Douglas Reque told Annandale Today on Sept. 14, “We get gang members all the time.” The club doesn’t specifically ban gang members but does ban people on its list of troublemakers. On Sept. 13, they kicked out a patron who tried to get into the VIP area.

The club has about eight security guards from Secured Protective Services on duty on weekends, Reque said. “Our ABC license is active. There are no restrictions.”

Related story: Community members say Diamond Lounge should be shut down

“We don’t allow loitering in the parking lot,” he said. But he noted that problems in the Diamond Lounge parking lot are often caused by patrons of other nearby clubs, such as the Blue Moon and Casa Grande.

To address complaints about noise, the Diamond Lounge moved its Wednesday night karaoke events in the parking lot indoors, Reque said. A couple of years ago, the Diamond Lounge upgraded lighting in the parking lot and stopped hosting car meets, he added.

In an email response to the community member who filed several complaints about the Diamond Lounge, FCPD 2nd Lt. Joseph Moore said he deployed a team to the nightclub several times this June in unmarked cruisers to monitor outdoor music and general noise levels. “Our officers observed no fights, disorderly conduct, or noise violations including outdoor loudspeakers after 10 p.m.”

“I understand your concerns about individuals who frequent the Diamond Lounge, but the Police Department will not suggest or convince a business owner to ban individuals from their establishment,” Moore wrote. “That decision resides solely with management.”

In a response to another community member in June, Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said, “I am well aware of the concerns many of our residents have expressed as it relates to the Diamond Lounge, and I hear you. The county is using the enforcement mechanisms within its authority to work to ensure this business is abiding by all applicable laws and ordinances.”

Jimenez said he’s been in touch with the FCPD and the Department of Code Compliance about the complaints. “While the county does have some tools at its disposal, there are still limitations to our authority.”