A Naval Academy police officer moonlighting as a security guard at a Southwest Baltimore nightclub was grazed by a stray bullet early yesterday when gunfire erupted a block away.
Detective Terry McCargo, 38, reported hearing gunshots about 2: 15 a.m. outside the Paradox nightclub in the 1300 block of Russell St., near PSINet Stadium, and took cover behind a telephone pole.
Police said an errant bullet, apparently from a nearby group of men who were arguing, grazed McCargo's right forearm. McCargo, who has worked at the Naval Academy in Annapolis since 1985, was treated by paramedics at the scene.
No arrests have been made.
Karen Myers, a Naval Academy spokeswoman, said McCargo was using his personal weapon, for which he has a permit. He is not allowed to carry his department-issued gun off academy grounds.
The spokeswoman said McCargo had told his superiors at the Department of Defense about his outside employment, as is required.
She said officials might not have known about the Paradox's troubled past, which includes complaints by city police in June 1997 about rave parties featuring techno-music and hallucinogenic drugs.
During raids, police have reported recovering marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD from the club's dance floor.
Two years ago, according to a city police report, the Army and Navy launched a criminal investigation after learning "that their personnel have been attending the Paradox Rave parties, purchasing and using illegal drugs."
Details could not be obtained yesterday.
Police said the club has been trouble-free recently. At a news conference last year, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke praised the Paradox as an example of a well-run nightclub where violence had disappeared. "They are doing a very good job," he said. "They've done their best to work with the community."
Paradox's owners could not be reached.
Pub Date: 3/30/99
