LAPD Blames Strip Club For Attracting Crime To Canoga Park

CANOGA PARK (CBSLA.com) — A shooting early Friday was the latest in a string of crimes that has led the LAPD to evaluate whether a San Fernando Valley strip club should shut its doors.

"We've never had a gun problem here over 13 years," said Brad Barnes, who's owned Xposed gentleman's club and lingerie boutique for more than a decade.

Barnes said his club, located at Roscoe Boulevard and Canoga Avenue, doesn't serve liquor.

He said three of his state-licensed security guards were 20 feet away when the shooting occurred.

It raises the question whether the club is perpetuating local crime or it was already there to begin with.

Police say the strip club, along with a nearby medical marijuana dispensary and liquor store, attract crime to the area.

"It gives the club a bad name. That's not what happens normally here," Barnes said. "They're making accusations that are not true: there's no prostitution, there's no drug dealing."

Police say they're asking the local zoning commission to review whether the club can continue to operate.