City Suspends Harambee Gas Station
Reports of gun activity and drug dealing at BP location on Center Street.
BP at 406. W. Center St. Photo taken May 12, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Reports of gun activity, drug dealing and expired food prompted the Milwaukee Common Council to temporarily close a BP gas station at 406 W. Center St.
On Tuesday, members voted unanimously against renewing the station’s extended hours license and approved a 10-day suspension of its remaining licenses—including for food dealer, weights and measures and filling station.
The business is cleared to reopen on May 23, but is no longer permitted to operate between midnight and 5 a.m.
The council’s decision followed an April 29 license renewal hearing, where committee members raised concerns over a 44-item police report — 12 of which took place in the past year.
A shooting occurred at the gas station on May 3, 2024, at 10:32 p.m.—one of two incidents involving gunfire reported that month. Police arrived to find two people shot and approximately 10 shell casings on the property, according to the report. Officers reviewed surveillance footage, which showed a physical altercation that escalated into a shootout, with people from both groups exchanging gunfire.
The video also revealed hand-to-hand drug transactions and several individuals—including the shooters—loitering before the incident. The report states that individuals carrying rifle-style firearms spent more than an hour at the business, both outside in the parking lot and inside the store. However, an employee told police that they did not see or hear anything related to the shooting.
Less than two weeks later, at 4:29 a.m. on May 16, officers responded to a report of shots fired. A witness told police that several individuals assaulted the victim and demanded their keys. Surveillance footage shows the group later driving off in the victim’s car. Officers recovered both a spent and a live cartridge at the scene.
Police also discovered “numerous expired food items” during a Jan. 7 license premise check.
“If you look at a lot of the things on the police report, they occur during that extended hours time,” said area Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs. “With things like people with firearms walking around the space for over an hour and employees saying they didn’t even see them … there’s just a lot of different decision-making that I think puts the safety of the patrons at risk.”
She added that owner Rana Anwar “has been nothing but kind,” but suggested that he may not be “able to handle” overnight operation.
The Milwaukee Police Department declared the property a nuisance premises on March 24, citing an additional shooting that occurred on March 18, 2025. The incident was not included in the committee’s report due to its proximity to the hearing.
The notice prompted Anwar to meet with District 5 Captain Jeremiah C. Jacks to discuss a plan to improve safety at the business, he told committee members, noting that he had resolved to install additional lighting, cameras and improved security. He also outlined plans for better communication with neighbors and regular checks for expired items.
However, Alderwoman Coggs said the Milwaukee Police Department found Anwar’s plan unsatisfactory, and recommended a 10-day suspension to give him time to revise the proposal. She also asked the committee to deny the station’s extended hours license.
The gas station received a warning letter in 2024.
Anwar appeared before the council Tuesday morning, requesting a reduced penalty, but his testimony did not sway the council’s decision.
Anwar did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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