INWOOD — A bouncer shot in the neck trying to break up a fight inside celebrity hot spot La Marina is suing the waterfront nightclub, accusing it of not having adequate security to handle the melee.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Andrew Tolbert blamed the popular Inwood bar and restaurant for the summer shooting because it "did not have adequate safety personnel on its premises to oversee its customers."
Tolbert, 28, of Prospect Heights, works for firm Five Points Security and was one of its bouncers working security at La Marina on the night of July 13.
At about 11:45 p.m. that Sunday, Tolbert was trying to stop a fracas when one of the patrons involved in the fight shot him in the neck in the lounge's outdoor deck area, police said at the time. The lawsuit doesn't indicate how much security staff was on hand at the time of the shooting.
Tolbert was taken to St. Luke's Hospital and was in stable condition at the time. The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, said he "will permanently suffer from the effects" of the shooting but does not detail his injuries.
Police have not arrested a shooter in the incident.
The lawsuit names La Marina and Manhattan River Group, the holding company that owns the nightclub, as defendants. The unknown shooter, also named as a defendant, is listed in the suit as "John Doe."
La Marina, on the western end of Dyckman Street, sits on city parkland on the Hudson River. It leases the land from the city, but under an agreement with the Parks Department, the club is supposed to close by 11 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday.
The nightclub, which features a hookah lounge and $1,000 magnums of Dom Perignon, opened in 2012. It quickly became a popular party spot, drawing celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio, Jay-Z and Beyonce.
The club has also drawn the scorn of local residents who blame it for large noisy crowds, increased traffic and trash.
Jerald Tenenbaum, an attorney and a co-owner of La Marina, declined to comment.
Tolbert's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit does not state how much money is being sought.
