US News

PLAXICO NIGHTCLUB’S LOSING STREAK

The Midtown club where Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself was close to being sacked long before his gun went off.

The 17th Precinct cabaret unit has been targeting the nightspot, LQ, for several months, according to a police source.

“The club was on its last legs before the shooting,” a source said. “They’ve had assaults and other problems and they haven’t been paying their state sales tax. They had a hip-hop event there a couple of months ago, and there was a big police presence. They set up DWI checkpoints.”

The troubled nightspot – owned by Latin music celeb Ralph Mercado III – made headlines in December 2004 when a fight erupted during rap star Ja Rule’s holiday party.

The brawl spilled into the street, where one man was fatally shot and another was wounded.

Following that incident, police conducted a thorough inspection, issuing 23 violations in one night for various problems, including dancing without a cabaret license and blocked fire exits.

The club has also been a target of the State Liquor Authority, paying $11,000 in state fines since it opened on Sept. 15, 2003.

The club is again in hot water after Burress allegedly entered with a gun at 1 a.m. on Nov. 29.

The gun went off at 1:50 a.m. in an elevator vestibule, between the VIP room and the coat check, sources said. Burress, who was holding a drink, was hit in the right leg.

A week after the shooting, the club allowed patrons to enter without making them go through a metal detector, which sat unused near an exit staircase, The Post found.

brad.hamilton@nypost.com