Board says North Station club not to blame for Causeway Street brawls after a Halloween party there, but still plans a hearing on preventing further street melees

The Boston Licensing Board concluded yesterday that Big Night Live was not to blame for a massive series of brawls on Causeway Street last October that ended with two cops, an EMT and several costumed pugilists injured and three people facing criminal charges.

Board members, who at first expressed skepticism the North Station club had nothing to do with its patrons spilling out onto the street and then re-assembling for a series of fights, said yesterday they were convinced by video provided by Big Night Live that, in fact, the club had ushered everybody outside after a "Yelloween" party on Oct. 19 without any problems and that the rolling brouhaha only started after everybody had cleared out from in front of the venue.

But board members said they now want to meet with Big Night Live executives and the security company for the TD North complex - which Big Night Live said was responsible for keeping a lid on things after the club closes.

"What happened between dispersal [of patrons] and chaos on the street, I am not clear," board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce said, adding, however, "something went wrong that night."

Joyce noted Big Night Live did not actually have any sort of written contract with the security company to ensure what happened in October would not happen again.

She added that the Halloween party was actually put on by a promoter, and that while Big Night Live said it had run events with that organization with no problems before, the board wants more "clarity" on promoter-led events in the future.

"They're good operators," she said of Big Night, but "this was really serious."