Surveillance video from inside Alchemy in Raleigh's Glenwood South entertainment district shows plainclothes law enforcement officers taking two patrons to the ground and handcuffing them early last Friday morning, though neither man was ultimately charged. The footage, captured around 1:40 a.m. as officers approached a patron inside the bar, has reignited tension between city nightlife operators and the multi-agency task forces now sweeping through Glenwood South venues.
According to WRAL, the operation involved Wake County ABC agents and Wake County Sheriff's Office deputies working together to check identification and enforce legal drinking age requirements. The station reports that a Wake County ABC officer approached the first patron and asked for identification, but the man replied, “I don't have an ID,” and refused to provide one. The patron then bumped into another officer nearby, and the video appears to show him being slammed to the ground before officers restrained him.
A second patron then approached and grabbed a Wake County deputy, according to the same account, prompting officers to take him to the ground as well. Both men were handcuffed inside the bar. Alchemy general manager Derrick Andrews said he did not recognize the group as law enforcement in the moment and only realized they were officers after the physical struggle had ended. Bar owner and employees told the station the patrons appeared confused about the plainclothes officers' identities.
Broadwell Defends the Force as Justified
Wake County ABC Law Enforcement Chief Scott Broadwell, who was stationed at the operation's command center in the parking lot during the encounter, said the video matches the account he received from his officers and relied on those accounts in his assessment. Broadwell said the ABC officer identified himself twice before the confrontation escalated, though the report notes the officer did not have time to display his badge before the patron turned away. Broadwell called the force used at Alchemy absolutely justified, per the same account, and said officers are trained to use the least amount of force necessary.
Wake County ABC has said the patrons resisted officers, and officers can detain someone who refuses instructions and attempts to walk away. Officers ultimately confirmed both patrons were at least 21 years old and legally permitted to drink. Authorities decided not to charge either man, with Broadwell characterizing the non-charging decision as an educational experience for the patrons rather than a punitive one. Both patrons reportedly apologized to the officers afterward. The Wake County Sheriff's Office confirmed it is reviewing surveillance video of the incident, a spokesperson said.
Lovenheim Pushes Back on Tactics
Alchemy owner Dan Lovenheim, who has owned North Carolina bars for nearly 25 years, disputed the authorities' account of what happened. He called it the most egregious incident of this type he has seen inside one of his establishments and said the actions taken were beyond what was acceptable. Still, Lovenheim said he does not oppose enforcement itself, adding that most Raleigh police, Wake County ABC, and ALE personnel are great people doing their jobs.
Lovenheim said the first patron was scared and confused rather than combative. John Zimmerman, who oversees operations for Alchemy and other Oak City Group bars, said the patrons appeared frightened after the encounter. Alchemy's managers knew officers were working inside the bar that night, but plainclothes work is common during bar enforcement operations because it allows officers to observe activity before approaching someone — a tactic that, combined with dim lighting and no general obligation for patrons to show ID absent reasonable suspicion under North Carolina law, can create confusion during these sweeps, according to the UNC School of Government.
Lovenheim's businesses spend about $250,000 annually hiring off-duty Raleigh police officers, and he said he hopes future enforcement can continue without bodyslams. His pushback comes against the backdrop of a broader legal fight: Lovenheim sued the City of Raleigh in October 2024 over a noise ordinance targeting venue entertainment, a dispute that led the city to drop its noise citations and move toward decibel-based enforcement in 2026, as Hoodline previously reported. Together with the Kenner Group, Lovenheim's Oak City Group controls nearly half of all bar establishments along Glenwood South.
A District Under Pressure
The Alchemy incident lands amid a stretch of intensified scrutiny of Glenwood South nightlife. The corridor recorded 299 crimes between January 2022 and March 2024, including 56 assaults and 40 weapons violations — a 400 percent surge in weapons offenses compared with 2019 levels, Hoodline has reported. That climate worsened over the July Fourth weekend, when an estimated 5,000 juveniles gathered for a so-called teen takeover that spiraled into shootings, fights, 29 arrests, and the recovery of 11 firearms, according to WPTF.
In late August, Broadwell announced that downtown venue Alive Bar & Lounge surrendered and canceled its liquor license after a shooting there injured four people, a precedent that underscores his agency's willingness to press hard on venues tied to violence. Broadwell said additional operations are planned this fall, though they may not mirror the Alchemy operation exactly. The overall sweep that included the Alchemy incident resulted in about 50 people being charged.
City Council Weighs New Controls
City officials are trying to crack down on underage drinking and other crimes in Glenwood South, and Raleigh leaders are considering increased patrols and other safety measures in the district. At its September 8 meeting, the Raleigh City Council discussed reviving a multi-agency Nightlife Entertainment Task Force, along with voluntary bar magnetometer programs and new zoning overlays for venue operating hours, according to the council's own discussion. Such a task force would bring together multiple city departments and Wake County ABC for joint safety inspections.
The council's renewed interest comes as the city continues fighting to preserve its regulatory authority over venues. A Wake County Superior Court judge invalidated Raleigh's 2024 nightlife permit ordinance in August 2025, ruling that city rules on venue security and sound conflicted with state ABC Commission preemption, and the city has since appealed that ruling. As enforcement operations continue into the fall, the balance between aggressive policing and the legal rights of bar patrons in Glenwood South remains an open and unresolved question for city leaders, bar owners, and law enforcement alike.
