TOLEDO, Ohio — A woman shot in the parking lot of Chasers nightclub in June 2024 has filed a lawsuit against a security guard and the security company he works for, alleging the guard’s actions caused her permanent injury.
Janiya Coffey’s lawsuit, filed June 3, 2025, claims that on the night of June 8, 2024, multiple fights broke out in the Chasers parking lot. During the chaos, an individual pulled out a firearm and fired several rounds, according to court documents.
The suit alleges that William Hartford, a security guard employed by IDER Security, responded to the disturbance alongside another company employee. According to Coffey, Hartford then fired his gun, striking her in the back.
Hartford had been charged with improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or school safety zone, but prosecutors dropped the case earlier this year “for good cause shown,” court records indicate.
Coffey’s lawsuit contends that Hartford lacked the legal authority to fire his weapon that night and holds both him and IDER Security liable for her injuries. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages exceeding $25,000 each, as well as attorney’s fees and other costs.
IDER Security and Hartford have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.