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CHICAGO - A nightclub owner and three other men were charged with manslaughter in a stampede that killed 21 people last winter - a tragedy prosecutors said was caused in part by the owners packing the place to five times its capacity.
E2 nightclub owner Dwain Kyles, his alleged partner Calvin Hollins Jr., party promoter Marco Flores and Hollins' son, Calvin Hollins III, a club manager, pleaded innocent Tuesday. A grand jury handed up the sealed indictments last week.
"They put individuals into a precarious situation where any incident could, and unfortunately in this situation did, lead to tragedy," said Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine.
Involuntary manslaughter involving multiple deaths carries up to 10 years in prison. A judge set bail ranging from $15,000 to $35,000.
The Feb. 17 stampede at the E2 nightclub started after someone used pepper spray to break up a dance-floor fight. Patrons fled for the doors, crushing each other on a narrow staircase. Prosecutor Robert Egan said the club had 1,200 patrons that night, but the capacity was 240.