Nellie's Sports Bar: Video Shows Staff 'Dragging Woman Down The Stairs By Her Hair'

Content warning - scenes of violence.

Shocking footage has emerged of a young woman allegedly being dragged down the stairs by her hair as bar staff tried to throw her out of the venue.

The unnamed woman was enjoying a night at LGBTQ-friendly venue Nellie's Sports Bar in Washington DC on 18^th June.

You can watch the video below - viewer discretion is advised.

Local newspaper Metro Weekly reported that staff allegedly mistook the woman in question for another woman, who had brought her own alcohol into the bar.

A video, which has been shared on Twitter by Black-led abolitionist group Harriet's Dreams, saw the woman being dragged down a flight of stairs by a member of staff, appearing to tug at her legs and hair as shocked onlookers watched.

Some tried to wrestle the man off the woman, which led to more staff physically trying to drag them all out of the bar.

Twitter - harriet's dreams)

Things quickly turned violent, as one man threw a punch to defend himself before he was thrown out the bar by the heavy-handed security.

The footage saw some call for a total boycott of the bar, with the group organising a protest outside Nellie's on Sunday night - demanding the venue be turned into a safe space for Black queer and trans individuals.

"Nellie's brutalised a Black woman by dragging her down the steps by her hair," one group wrote on Twitter. "We need our LGBTQ fam to boycott Nellies and show up tonight."

Twitter - harrietsdreams)

Nellie's has since responded to the incident, explaining they are closing the bar for the next week and offering their apologies to the woman involved.

In a lengthy statement written on Facebook, a spokesperson for the bar wrote: "Nellie's Sports Bar has terminated, with immediate effect, the independent security vendor hired to protect our guests during Pride Week.

"Our investigation into the matter is ongoing, and we will cooperate with any law enforcement investigation, however we do not need to wait for the investigation's conclusion before we take decisive action."

They added: "We offer a heartfelt apology to all who witnessed the horrific events of this past weekend. No matter what behaviour occurred prior, nothing warrants mistreating, and disrespecting, one of our guests.

"What we can say is we have heard the concerns of the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities. Nellie's will be closed this week as we evaluate this regrettable situation, though we will continue to pay all non-security staff their normal wages.

"In the interim, we will use this time to listen and understand what more we can do to create the safe and friendly atmosphere our guests have come to expect from Nellie's Sports Bar over the past 14 years."

Topics: News, US News, women, Alcohol

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley