The city shut down parking because of crime. But one popular destination actually has more.

Last Friday night, Club There, one of the longest-running nightclubs in the portion of downtown Myrtle Beach called the “superblock,” opened at 11 p.m. Music blared and lights flashed inside, but Club There was virtually deserted.

Victor Tataru, the owner of the club at 516 Eighth Avenue North, said he was probably losing money that night.

“I don’t even think about it,” he said when asked by The Sun News how much money it costs to operate the club for one night.

Tataru and other club owners have voiced opposition to an emergency city council measure that mandated clubs only in the area close at 2 a.m. Previously, Tataru’s club opened at 1:30 a.m. The superblock is the area of Nance Plaza bounded by Main Street, Broadway Street, U.S. 501 and Ninth Avenue North.

City officials cited a high rate of crime for the measure, which came into effect immediately after passage Nov. 8 and will lapse after 61 days unless a second reading is passed. A shooting on Nov. 5 left five injured inside Pure Ultra Club, at 803 Main St.

An analysis of police reports shows, however, that while more incidents involving guns have occurred on the superblock, Broadway at the Beach, a popular dining, shopping, entertainment and nightlife destination, has seen more assaults and robberies overall in 2016.

The superblock has seen 12 instances of violent crime and weapons violations in the area since January, including six simple assaults and unarmed robberies, one report of a forcible rape and five instances where a gun was involved, ranging from weapon permit violations to incidents where people were shot. In one instance not included in this tally, a man who reported that his car had been broken into said that a silver Smith & Wesson .32 caliber revolver had been left in his passenger seat (the man turned the gun into the Myrtle Beach Police Department).

Roughly eight different clubs have operated on the block this year, though Global Ultra Lounge, which was located next to Club There, shut down during that time.

Broadway at the Beach, which is less than two miles away from the superblock, is home to nine establishments that stay open until 2 a.m. or later at least one night a week, according to online listings. (The recent bar closing ordinance only affects the superblock, and Malibu’s Surf Bar and Oz both stay open as late as 3 a.m.) A total of 20 reports of violent crime were found at the destination from the beginning of this year, including 18 assaults and robberies, two reports of forcible rape and no incidents involving guns. However, two guns were reported missing from Broadway at the Beach’s parking lot after a string of car break-ins in July. Carrying weapons is prohibited inside the development.

The Sun News reviewed reports posted on Myrtle Beach Police’s “Police to Citizen” information website to complete the analysis of crime in the superblock and at Broadway at the Beach. Lt. Joey Crosby of Myrtle Beach Police said the listings on the site are comprehensive, except in the case of “a current incident in which the supervisor has not signed off on that (report) yet.”

John Farrelly, the owner of Farlo’s Burrito Bar, recently opened a bar next to his eatery at 815 Main St. on the superblock. The bar was open but empty in the early hours of Saturday morning, and he said reports of crime were bad for business in the neighborhood.

Farrelly said he is hoping for new parking spots on the street in front of the shop to create more business for his bar, which he said could be a destination for locals going out for happy hour.

“I just watch traffic go by all day long,” he said.

Among other superblock businesses, Pure Ultra Club, the site of the recent shooting, was closed, as was Natalia’s Bar and Grill and Nerd Bar. Lights were on inside of Ibiza Club & Hookah Lounge, but doors were locked. St. George Bar, just a few feet off of the actual superblock, was open.

Crosby said that local police have recently increased patrols of the area and that officers were inside Pure Ultra Club about 15 minutes before the recent shooting, for crime deterrence. The officers were not inside the club as the shooting occurred, he said.

Directed patrols to a specific area may be the result of a command from a superior, Crosby said, or may be a decision made by officers on the streets.

“When the officers do it on their own, they see the reports that have been taken and what’s been happening in the neighborhood,” he said.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 7:49 PM with the headline "The city shut down parking because of crime. But one popular destination actually has more.."