Amigos Mexican Grill to reopen in Laurel after Cinco de Mayo violence

Before Amigos Mexican Grill could reopen in Laurel, city officials suspended its permit, reviewed its security claims and forced the business to answer for the chaos that followed the Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Centre at Laurel. The restaurant’s Use and Occupancy Permit at 13600 Baltimore Avenue was suspended effective Friday, May 8, after a night that left five people hospitalized.

The city said its Department of Fire Marshal and Permit Services found preliminary problems that went beyond the violence itself: misrepresentation of the security plan, misrepresentation involving the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners and misrepresentation of the intended use of the space. Laurel said the suspension could remain in place for up to 30 days or until city conditions were met. The restaurant later said it had reached an agreement with the city and was set to reopen at 11 a.m. Friday, May 15.

That reopening does not close the public-safety questions surrounding the May 5 celebration. Laurel police said the domestic-related stabbing at Amigos Mexican Grill and a separate shooting in front of LongHorn Steakhouse were unrelated incidents. Police said all victims from both scenes were taken to local hospitals and were in stable condition. In the stabbing case, officers charged Shon Juan Cook Jr., 26, of Howard County. In the shooting case, police reviewed video and later identified the suspect as Michael Dakernu Dennah, 24, of Beltsville, who was wanted on attempted-murder and firearms-related charges. An officer was also maced during the response.

Mayor Keith R. Sydnor said public safety remained Laurel’s top priority and thanked Laurel Police and Prince George’s County Police for their response. He said the city’s code enforcement office was reviewing policies as officials tried to separate a business reopening from the larger issue of how a crowded parking-lot event got out of hand.

For shoppers, nearby restaurants and other tenants at the Centre at Laurel, the case now shifts from emergency response to accountability. The permit action shows the city is willing to use its regulatory power when a business’s crowd control and security planning come into question, even as it gives that business a path back. The harder test now is whether future events in the shopping center can be managed without another night of gunfire, stabbing and police intervention.