Name: Police shut down SF nightclub operating during coronavirus crisis
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Police shut down SF nightclub operating during coronavirus crisis

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An underground nightclub in San Francisco’s Bayview district was shut down Saturday for allegedly operating in spite of shelter-in-place-orders during the coronavirus outbreak, The Chronicle has learned.San Francisco police raided the unlicensed club, city officials said, after an investigation by the city attorney’s office found that the venue was holding events in a warehouse that sometimes drew more than 100 people. Health orders from both the city and state have required bars and nightclubs to close, banned gatherings of any size and mandated that people stay at home when not pursuing essential activities.Located at 2266 Shafter Ave., on a dead-end street near a freeway overpass, the nightclub was also operating without proper permits and did not have the fire sprinklers, alarms and exits required in public buildings, according to a warrant obtained by City Attorney Dennis Herrera. The club was holding its events mostly between 2 and 6 a.m.Herrera sought the warrant, issued by a judge Friday, after investigators received a tip, reviewed video from April 4 through 6 and staked out the small warehouse in an industrial area of the Bayview on April 8, according to the warrant. They noticed as many as 20 to 30 cars an hour parked near the site, saw strobe lights and heard loud music. Surveillance video showed more than 100 people entering the club and security guards frisking each one.“None of them practiced 6 feet of social distancing,” Herrera said.Herrera’s office said the landlord, whose name was redacted from the copy of the warrant obtained by The Chronicle, cooperated fully with his office and the police. The name of the tenant, who was said to be operating a janitorial business at the site, was also redacted from the warrant along with the license plate numbers of several patrons of the club. An attorney who represented one of the property owners could not immediately be reached for comment.After obtaining the search warrant on Friday, police parked patrol cars near the front of the underground club that night in an attempt to dissuade people from entering. On Saturday, before the club could open for the night, officers from the Police Department’s tactical unit and Bayview Station entered the building and seized DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines, $670 in cash, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture and other nightclub-related items, the city attorney’s office said.Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.Nobody was arrested in connection with the raid. Police could decide to file criminal charges in connection with the allegedly illegal operation of the club.“We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic,” Herrera said. “Cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season.”Police Chief Bill Scott agreed. “The operators of this illegal club senselessly put lives at risk in a time when our city is doing everything within our means to slow the spread of this pandemic and safeguard the health and well-being of the public,” he said. “Let this case be a reminder that we will take action against those who knowingly violate the public health order and endanger the health and safety of our residents.”Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

An underground nightclub in San Francisco’s Bayview district was shut down Saturday for allegedly operating in spite of shelter-in-place-orders during the coronavirus outbreak, The Chronicle has learned.San Francisco police raided the unlicensed club, city officials said, after an investigation by the city attorney’s office found that the venue was holding events in a warehouse that sometimes drew more than 100 people. Health orders from both the city and state have required bars and nightclubs to close, banned gatherings of any size and mandated that people stay at home when not pursuing...

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Michael Cabanatuan is a general assignment, breaking news reporter. He previously covered all things transportation for the San Francisco Chronicle — from BART strikes, acrobatic bridge construction and dark dirty tunnel excavations to the surging ridership on public transportation and the increasing conflict as cars, bikes and pedestrians struggle to coexist on the streets.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/author/michael-cabanatuan/

Michael Cabanatuan

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Police shut down SF nightclub operating during coronavirus crisis

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