Spiros to reopen under new name

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The troubled nightclub Spiros will reopen on Nov. 27, but with new owners.

The new club, Barbarella will feature live rock bands and huge video screens.

Spiros was plagued with controversial police responses and shootings. On the afternoon of May 29, two men from the hip-hop group LG Allstarz turned themselves in to police, suspected of spraying gunfire into a crowd outside Spiros Nightclub near Sixth Street early that morning.

The shooting was in apparent retaliation for being turned away from a scheduled performance because they arrived late, police said.

"The involved parties were, in fact, performers and began shooting at patrons and employees," said Malanka. "They were not specifically targeting anybody."

Some six people were taken to the hospital after the shooting.

Spiros closed once the drive-by shooting investigation started and never reopened. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Lt. Jimmy Zuehlke confirmed in early June that the owner of Spiro's would have had to go through numerous hearings and associated costs in order to keep the club open.

"This is a good move on Spiro's part for the TABC, the Austin Police department, and revelers who enjoy Sixth Street," said Zuelke.

The multiple shooting in late May was not the first run-in with the law at Spiros.

The Austin Police Department has responded to Spiros more than 170 times in the last year, and the late May shooting highlighted the questionable activity surrounding the nightclub, officials said.

APD records show there have been 115 thefts and 47 burglaries within 500 feet of the nightclub since late November 2007. There have also been 25 aggravated assaults, seven assaults on a peace officer and 95 instances of possession controlled substances, dangerous drugs and marijuana.

Below is a chart, showing the criminal violations near Spiros Nightclub before it closed: