A security guard for a nightclub on Glass Street returned fire at a gunman who shot into a crowd of patrons who were in the club’s parking lot, injuring the shooter.
After a man approached the crowd and started shooting, a guard was captured on Dream’s security footage raising his assault rifle and returning fire in the early hours of Jan. 26.
The dramatic video of the guard firing off about two dozen rounds in a matter of seconds has drawn international attention over the past several days, as Local 3 News coverage drew attention from the Daily Mail in London and the New York Post.
The guard is not facing any charges related to the incident, said Joe Reed, manager and head of security for Dream.
“They have cleared him of any wrongdoing and had cleared him to get his weapons back,” Reed said.
Chattanooga police did not respond to an email with questions about its investigation into the Jan. 26 incident by the time of publication.
The guard was following protocol, Reed said.
Not all security officers at Dream are permitted to carry assault rifles, Reed said, only guards who have the proper training. Also, the guards who are qualified to carry assault rifles only do so when a large event is happening at the venue, like the concert that Dream was hosting that night in January.
“The type of gun that he had, it was able to derail the perpetrator and get the perpetrator on the run and save innocent people’s lives to keep us from having a mass shooting down there,” Reed said.
Beyond Reed, who is responsible for ensuring the club has enough security, the security at Dream is outsourced to Global Protection Services, Reed said.
(READ MORE: Security guard accused of punching Brainerd High student arrested)
The guard who fired defensively is employed part time by Global Protection Services, said Curtis Greene, a former officer with the Chattanooga Police Department and former chief of police at Chattanooga State Community College. Greene owns Global Protection Services.
“He was doing what he was trained to do,” Greene said, in reference to the guard’s actions that night.
“He returned fire,” Greene continued. “You have a gentleman that came to the club with a firearm, shooting.
“In my eyes, he’s a hero,” the security company owner said of the guard.
This is the second shooting incident at Dream in recent months. In December, a shooting inside the club left one person injured, according to a release from the Chattanooga Police Department.
(READ MORE: Blue Light co-owner aims to open new nightclub in downtown Chattanooga)
The police department issued a violation notice for the city’s beer board, which gave the bar a five-day suspension, according to Local 3 News.
Contact Kailee Shores at kshores@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.