Myrtle Beach Police are NOT allowed on the Broadway at the Beach venue unless specifically called by Broadway at the Beach security. This per an agreement between the city and Broadway at the Beach. No random, unwarranted Myrtle Beach police alcohol inspections are done at any time at Broadway at the Beach.
The Superblock Trial Day 3 began with Myrtle Beach City Councilman Michael Chestnut telling the Plaintiffs’ Attorney Tucker Player he had no idea why the city chose to pay Israeli National Noam Pyade $15 million for his nuisance properties, but refused to pay Player’s Superblock clients for the same nuisance property designation.
Chestnut confirmed that he did vote for calling the Superblock businesses nuisance properties, but does not know why he chose not to pay them.
Chestnut stated he also voted to call Pyade’s properties nuisance properties and also voted to pay Pyade $15 million.
Pyade is a former Board Member of the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation. Pyade now lives in Israel, where he is running for Mayor of Tel Aviv.
THE CASE FOR MURDER BEACH
Afterwards the City of Myrtle Beach defense team put on its case for how the Superblock was a key element in making Myrtle Beach a high crime designated city. The unflattering moniker of Murder Beach is now used by tourists and local alike.
Lawyer James Battle went through an at times tedious blow by blow of marijuana possession in different Superblock bars, along with a list of times bars still had clients served and drinking from 5 minutes to (on one occasion) over 1 hour past the 2 a.m. mandated closing.
Marty Brown – Myrtle Beach Assistant Chief of Police was called to the stand to give an over 2 hour blow by blow.
The list of offenses went from extremely tedious to, at times, dramatic, with Battle playing different angles of the same shooting event over and over for the jury.
Battle began his timeline in 2015. That timeline included a street shooting near Club Levelz, a shooting inside of Pure Ultra Nightclub where 5 people were shot during a rented event, and one shooting inside Natalia’s Bar and Grill.
Video of all three shootings were shown time and again to the jury pool.
Asst. Police Chief Brown also testified that during a traffic check point stop on 3rd Avenue South, a car carrying a trunk filled with heroine was stopped. Brown stated city video cameras traced the vehicle back to Natalia’s Bar and Grill, but Ward did not testify the drugs were purchased at Natalia’s.
The City of Myrtle Beach defense team does have a strong argument about the name “Murder Beach”, which is often used by tourists and locals. Its geneses may very well have begun in 2015 and 2016.
HERE ARE JUST A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF SHOOTINGS AND MURDERS FROM THAT PERIOD THAT HAPPENED CITY-WIDE
SOCASTEE MAN KILLS MYRTLE BEACH RESIDENT Feb. 13, 2015
A Socastee man has been found guilty of murder in the 2015 death of a 50-year-old Myrtle Beach man.
According to a news release, the trial for Keith Sheldon Levan, 41, began on Feb. 13 in Horry County General Sessions Court.
Levan was charged with the murder of Barry Selmon on Feb. 21, 2015, outside of the hhgregg store.
Officials say the murder arose out of an alleged extramarital affair.
The HHGREGG STORE on 550 Seaboard Street was neither closed by the city nor was its business license revoked.
Landmark Hotel Double Homicide March 2015
Two suspects have been arrested in connection to a double homicide at the Landmark Hotel in Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach police were called to the Landmark Resort Hotel at 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 6th by hotel staff for “suspicious activity.”
Alexander Turner, 23, and Chelsi Griffin, 19, have been charged with the murders of Alexander Turner’s parents, Carrie Daley Turner and Steven Gray Turner.
The Landmark Hotel was not closed as a result of the shooting. It’s business license was not revoked.
Compass Cove Shooting May 24, 2015
Officers responded to the reported incident located at Compass Cove Resort at 2311 South Ocean Boulevard on May 24, 2015.
A Myrtle Beach police report states that Craig Tallambadge Williams, 45, was taken into custody in connection with an aggravated assault. According to officials, the 39-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.
Around 1 a.m., the Myrtle Beach Police Department posted on their Facebook page, “Tonight we responded to the Compass Cove Resort for a report of a shooting in a motel room. There is one victim that suffered serious injury. We have one person in custody for questioning only at this time.”
Paid Parking Lot Shooting Jul 15, 2015 Shooting
Sun, 19 Jul 2015 13:10:00 GMT — The Myrtle Beach Police Department is investigating a shooting incident that happened late Saturday night at a Myrtle Beach Paid Parking lot, according to Lt. Joey Crosby.
The shooting happened at 1501 N. Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.
Lt. Crosby says one person was shot and is being treated at the hospital. No arrests have been made. The parking lot was not closed as a result of the shooting.
Oasis Motel Owner Arrested for Shooting November 17th 2015
Shai David, the owner of the Oasis Motel in Myrtle Beach, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after a shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach Tuesday evening, according to Lt. Joey Crosy with Myrtle Beach police.
David, 42, has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection with the shooting, according to arrest warrants. The charges against David were later dropped.
Man charged with murder for Friday shooting at Fountainbleau Inn, woman charged as accessory May. 27, 2016
Police arrested 24-year-old Lourie Earl Maurice Pearson on charges of murder in connection to the shooting that killed a man at the Fountainbleau Inn Friday morning, according to reports from the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Tysheria Salters, 19, was arrested on Sunday night and charged for accessory after the fact to a felony in connection with this case.
A second man was later charged with murder in connection with the deadly shooting near the Fountainbleau Inn the morning of May 27.
Fountainbleau Inn was not closed nor did it have its business license revoked as a result of this shooting.
AGE RESTRICTED VIOLENT VIDEO OF MYRTLE BEACH GANG SHOOTING. MUST CLICK WATCH ON YOUTUBE TO VIEW
AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON ACROSS MYRTLE BEACH FROM VENUE TO VENUE, BUT THE MOST VIRAL TO DATE: Three shootings in 8 hours. Eight wounded June 19, 2017
Multiple people were shot on 4th Avenue North in between hotels located on Ocean Boulevard. Several were injured in three shootings that erupted on Ocean Boulevard and around heavily trafficked tourist areas across oceanfront Myrtle Beach. This event, more than any other, is when the term Murder Beach began to stick as a nickname for the city. The terms Murder Beach and Dirty Myrtle have been used widely since.
This news item was covered by the Washington Post, The N.Y. Times, and the viral of one key shooting (pictured above) was seen by 4 million tourists. The boulevard was not shut down nor did any hotel businesses have their licenses revoked as a result of this violent weekend.
CITY POLICE OPERATE LIKE SLED CONCERNING ALCOHOL
The defense team told the jury that the Myrtle Beach police have every right to walk into restaurants and bars without notice or a warrant so as to ensure safety. Battle said the police even have the right to question the bar’s clients.
EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE
Since those 2015 and 2016 events, many of the storefronts at the Superblock have remained closed.
Locals claim that, rather than eliminating crime for Ocean Boulevard, the downtown and the Superblock, the city has simply moved that gang activity to Celebrity Square at Broadway at the Beach.
There are 8 bars and many restaurants serving alcohol at Broadway at the Beach. The bars include Froggy Bottomz, Club Oz, Fat Tuesday, Revolutions, Senor Frogs, Rodeo Bar & Grill, Crocodile Rocks, and Malibu’s Surf Bar.
4 Broadway at the Beach security officers hospitalized after ‘large fight’ July 5, 2021
Four Broadway at the Beach security officers were assaulted during a ‘large fight’, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
The incident happened on Monday, July 5th just before 2 a.m. at Señor Frog’s on Celebrity Circle, according to police.
Numerous fights have continued to plaque the Celebrity Square venue.
No business licenses have been revoked at Broadway at the Beach and no bars have been closed as a result. The city does not state as to whether Bars in that venue must provide a safety plan to the city.
Myrtle Beach Police are NOT allowed on the Broadway at the Beach venue unless specifically called by Broadway at the Beach security. This per an agreement between the city and Broadway at the Beach. No Myrtle Beach police alcohol inspections are done at any time at Broadway at the Beach.