Owners of Federal Hill Bar Closed After Stabbings Had License Revoked in Pawtucket After Shooting

Owners of Federal Hill Bar Closed After Stabbings Had License Revoked in Pawtucket After Shooting

The Federal Hill nightclub that was shut down for 72 hours after three men were stabbed this weekend has the same ownership that had their liquor license revoked in 2021 in Pawtucket after a series of violations and violent episodes.

The VL Restaurant and Lounge in Providence on Atwells Avenue, and the former Vibe Lounge in Pawtucket, are owned in part or in whole by husband and wife Victor and Leslie Silva. The couple lives in Cranston.

The Federal Hill club — VL Lounge — is facing a hearing before the Providence Board of License on Tuesday.

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According to police, an altercation took place inside VL Lounge early on Saturday morning, and victims told police that they had been stabbed in a fight inside the establishment at 242 Atwells Avenue.

Two of the men had stab wounds to their legs; the other male had a stab wound to his neck.  All of the men went to area hospitals for treatment on Saturday.

VL Lounge is the location of a fight last May that spilled out onto Atwells Avenue and turned into a brawl involving nearly 50 people. 

Providence police used pepper spray to break up that melee; multiple people were arrested. 

 

Pawtucket Club a “Public Nuisance” Claimed Police Chief

According to Rhode Island corporation business records, Leslie and Victor owned Vibe Lounge in Pawtucket until a revocation certificate was issued in 2022.

Vibe had been deemed a “public nuisance” by police — after a man was shot outside that establishment following multiple incidents of violence.

In April of 2021, a patron was shot five times outside an entrance to the club in April of 2021 according to WPRI.com. 

That month, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves declared Vibe Lounge a “public nuisance,” citing the City Charter.

In a Pawtucket Police press release, Goncalves said Vibe was a “menace to the public health, welfare, and safety” through the “numerous violations of COVID-19 regulations” in addition to “recent violent activities."

“This is the fifth major incident since February,” wrote Goncalves in April 2021 following the shooting. 

In May of 2021, the Pawtucket City Council voted unanimously to revoke the club’s liquor license; Vibe appealed the decision with the Department of Business Regulation (DBR). 

Pawtucket Club Comes to Providence 

In August of 2022, VL Restaurant and Lounge announced its opening on Federal Hill.

“Now that we can officially make the announcement, Vibe Lounge is moving to Federal Hill this October,” they announced. 

“VL restaurant and lounge — same vision, new vibe,” they said. 

When reached on Monday, Victor Silva declined to speak with GoLocal; his attorney Peter Petrarca did not respond to request for comment.