Atlanta

Orlando massacre brings back memories of Atlanta lesbian nightclub attack

Police at the scene of the bombing at the Otherside Lounge in 1997

ATLANTA — The nightclub massacre in Orlando brought back horrible memories for some metro Atlantans.

Nearly 20 years ago, a nail-laden bomb went off at a lesbian nightclub in Atlanta. It happened at the Otherside Lounge in February 1997.


The lounge was crowded with about 150 people when the device went off on a rear patio. Five people were hurt.

The owner told Channel 2 Action the Orlando nightclub massacre has her reliving the bombing.

"Twenty years later, fast forward, and look, it's happening, and we still don't know what to do," said Otherside Lounge owner Beverly McCann. "It scares me."

Eric Robert Rudolph pleaded guilty to the 1997 attack, along with the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing and two other attacks.