SAN FRANCISCO—A San Francisco nightclub was shut down on Thursday, July 2, after the establishment was operating an underground business that is in violation of a public health order that requires bars and nightclubs to remain closed in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Officers from the San Francisco Police Department shut down the illegal club located at 1610 Armstrong Avenue, after San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera was granted a civil inspection and abatement warrant from a judge. Authorities indicated they were aided after an anonymous security guard at a nearby COVID-19 testing site noticed loud music and lots of activity, and tipped off the police.
Once inside the establishment, officers discovered and confiscated gambling machines, barstools, a fog machine, a pool table, and other nightclub equipment including lighting and DJ equipment.
On Friday, July 3, John Cote of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office tweeted: “The City Attorney’s Office and @SFPD have shut down a 2nd illegal nightclub for violating SF’s #StayHomeStaySafe public health order.”
The club that was shut down on July 3 was being operated by the same group of people running another illegal nightclub at 2266 Shafter Avenue, which was shut down on April 11.
It is up to the SF District Attorney’s Office to decide whether the operators of the nightclub and the owners of the building will face criminal prosecution for violating orders and posing a threat to public health.
“We’ll use every tool at our disposal to shut down illegal clubs like this and protect public health during this pandemic,” Cote added in a tweet.
