At the Empire club in Ybor City, you might want to be careful when ordering a shot. The hip-hop club is known for violence almost as much as the thumpin’ beats coming out the door. The latest came in May when a fight inside the club spilled out into the streets, culminating in the shooting death of a 28-year-old. Last year, another man was stabbed in the club’s parking lot following an argument inside the bar; and in 2002, two Empire bouncers were shot when they told a man to remove his hat. Of course, that’s not counting the fights that don’t make the news. To be fair, any bar with a heavy youth contingent will attract some mayhem, but at Empire it seems to be just part of the tab.
