VIDEO: Man violently smacks female employee after being kicked out of U Street bar, police say

WASHINGTON - A popular U Street bar is asking the public for help identifying a man who was seen on camera hitting a woman in the face.

Service Bar DC posted the video to their Instagram Tuesday, saying, "This person is no longer welcome at any of our establishments, and we would appreciate any help in identifying this person so we can formally issue a ban notice with MPD."

According to a police report, the suspect got into an argument with the victim and was subsequently kicked out of the bar.

Video shows the man walking by the bar’s outdoor space where the victim is sitting when he violently smacks her in the face, then continues to walk down U Street.

Nearby patrons were visibly shocked and one man can even be heard yelling, "oh my God, what the f***?"

Police say the victim’s cheek was left red but she was not seriously injured.

Service Bar sent FOX 5 the following statement:

"An individual entered our bar and was waiting outside the restrooms, which we later learned, for a friend or ex-girlfriend who was in the restroom. The patron was blocking a main path for staff creating both a fire hazard and an occupational hurdle, and was asked politely to stand in the assigned queue area. The patron was argumentative and uncooperative with our staff, and eventually asked to leave. Our staff is trained to always ask for assistance directly from our security guard when issues arise from guests, and to avoid any confrontations that may escalate into a violent situation.

Our security guard asked the patron to please make his way to our front door and exit the establishment. The patron complied initially but at the door became argumentative and refused to leave. As our security guard continued to ask the patron to leave and led him to the front door, the patron became combative and violent with our security guard. After this incident made its way outside our front door our staff and security disengaged in the public space. The patron then appeared to be exiting the premises when, shown on the video, reached across our patio and struck our employee who had earlier asked him to stand in an appropriate queue for the restrooms. Our staff had the impression that the patron struck the structure of the patio, rather than our employee’s face, because it was so loud.

Safety and security is a top priority for our business and we strive to create a safe space for our patrons and guests. We are shocked and awed by the series of events that occurred and hope that we are able to maintain the same safe and comfortable environment we have strived to provide over the last seven years. Furthermore we are incredibly remorseful and sympathetic for the hurtful experience our employee endured. Immediately after the incident we contacted MPD and filed a report with them. We unfortunately did not have recorded identification of the individual who was not served a drink or recorded a credit card transaction with us. We have a 100% ID check at our door, but do not keep a log of all patrons, so any help in identifying this individual would be greatly appreciated. We are very thankful for the community support surrounding the incident and hope that we are able to provide peace and closure to this incident

Our patio was fully enclosed until recently, but DDOT informed us that long-term parklet program regulations will require all walls to be fully open above 36". We hope this incident sheds light on the realities of keeping staff and patrons safe from passersby, and we are able to secure our outdoor area for the security of our staff and patrons."

Anyone with information on the suspect should contact MPD at 202-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411.

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