PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Two nightclubs have been temporarily closed by the city License Board after violence and gunfire erupted outside both early Saturday morning.
A gang member shot at a police sergeant, who returned fire and shot him twice, in a disturbance outside Jovan's Lounge in South Providence around 2 a.m. Another gang member was arrested after officers saw him toss handgun near the scene, said Police Chief Hugh T. Clements,Jr.
At the same time, on the other side of the city at Snub's, at 887 North Main St., two people were wounded in a double shooting, Clements said.
The violence at both nightclubs spurred police to ask the license board for an emergency hearing Saturday afternoon. Both nightclubs are closed for 72 hours, pending a hearing on Monday.
The crowd spilling out of Jovan's escalated into violence, despite the presence of police, Clements said. In the middle of the chaos, gang member Duvall Carty, 24, was seen going to a car and retrieving a gun, Clements said.
Sgt. Curt Desautels pursued Carty through the crowd, chasing him across Broad Street, where Carty turned and fired a shot at him, Clements said.
Desautels returned fire, shooting four times and hitting Carty twice. Carty, listed in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital, is now facing charges of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, use of a firearm while committing a violent crime, and carrying a firearm without a license, Clements said.
Sgt. Curt Desautels, who was injured in the foot chase but wasn't shot, is on administrative leave pending a multi-agency investigation into the shooting.
The chief said he supported the sergeant's actions: "Sgt. Desautels absolutely responded with appropriate and professional police action," Clements said.
As police were trying to control the crowd that spilled over toward the parking lot where Carty was shot, officers saw an acquaintance of Carty's with a gun, Clements. Michael Williams, 21, ran from police -- and dropped a .45 caliber handgun, Clements said. The police got the gun and Williams, charging him with possession of a gun without a license and resisting arrest.
Until this weekend, there hadn't been a shooting in Providence since July 3, Clements said. The police have now seized 21 guns since July 1, 75 for the year so far.