PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local bar is causing safety problems in one St. Pete neighborhood. It's a concern viewers brought directly to ABC Action News, asking for help.
Sonic Sports Bar and Lounge is located on 49th Street South in St. Pete and residents said it's causing parking issues, violence, and littering.
"It makes me shake inside daily just knowing that it's so close, it's just steps away from violence," said Kayla Paluszak, one neighbor.
Paluszak said she never thought she would feel unsafe in her own neighborhood.
"We are all families in this area. This is not a street that a loud sports bar needs to be on," said Paluszak.
She's talking about Sonic Sports Bar and Lounge.
"Every night of the week, Tuesday night it is a pumping club out here with 20 cars, gangs of people in hubs, loud music, bottles of alcohol thrown on the street, there's trash everywhere after they leave," said Paluszak.
It's an issue that other neighbors are noticing too.
"Usually around 2 or 2:30 a.m. there's something that will wake you up, a lot of times it's screaming, fighting, people jumping on cars," said Matthew Fantz, another neighbor.
On Easter, St. Petersburg Police said a shooting happened at the bar and four people were injured.
Paluszak said some of the bullets went through her yard and hit her car.
That day that it happened, if that vehicle was not there, those bullets would have gone through the window and into my sons room," said Paluszak.
According to reports, St. Petersburg Police have been called to the bar 22 times since March 17.
"Ever since the fights and the shooting, it's just really felt that at any given moment, this could erupt into a war zone or there could be more shootings," said Fantz.
The owner of the bar said she is aware of the concerns and is working with St. Pete Police to curb the violence.
ABC Action News also got in touch with the landlord's lawyer and received a statement saying the landlord has sent the owner a lease termination notice and demand to cure. The landlord has also demanded that the tenant take immediate action to prevent criminal activity.
Paluszak and her neighbor, Matthew Fantz, said they are continuing to report issues to St. Pete Police.
"It is a daily fight to kind of put that in the back of my mind and live my life without the fear of bullets fly through your yard," said Paluszak
"This is an unfortunate situation where I was really hoping to have a nice safe neighborhood to live in, and as of right now the bar has become such a menace that it makes it impossible to feel safe in your own home," said Fantz.
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