NORFOLK -- An incident inside a downtown nightclub with a history of problems ended with a woman being taken into custody Monday morning by Norfolk Police.

According to a spokesperson, something happened inside The Palace on Plume nightclub, in the 200 block of East Plume St. shortly after 2 a.m., which may have involved pepper spray. One person who sent 13News Now a tip said there was a fight inside and security personnel 'pepper sprayed everyone.'

Whatever happened led to a large number of people spilling out onto the street.

When police arrived, they were tipped off that someone in a vehicle had been brandishing a weapon at other people. The car, which had four people was stopped. The tipster told us that the people inside the car were initially not very cooperative, but that when they did exit the vehicle, a woman was holding a handgun which she tried to conceal from the officers.

The woman was taken into custody and charged, although the spokesperson didn't have information about the specific charges.

The nightclub has had a troubled history since it opened on New Years Eve, 2010.

  • In December, 2013, a man was shot outside in a situation similar to Monday morning's, but with several gunshots being fired outside in a couple off different locations.
  • In August, 2013, 4 people were stabbed during a fight inside the establishment. A 21-year-old was arrested in that incident.
  • In August, 2011, city leaders considered taking away the Palace on Plume's liquor license after an argument inside the club led to a deadly shooting on interstate 264. The bar ended up keeping its right to sell alcohol.

After the December 2013 incident, Kevin Murphy, the Downtown Civic League president said: 'All I can say is that public safety is the number one concern for downtown residents and visitors. Crime is at record lows in downtown but if people don't feel safe, they will avoid downtown. That's why there is such a strong police presence downtown. Hopefully, anyone involved in the shooting will be arrested quickly.'

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