SF shuts down illegal nightclub operation during Covid-19 pandemic

San Francisco police and the City Attorney’s Office have shut down a nightclub that was operating illegally while a public health order is in effect prohibiting all gatherings.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera was able to secure a civil inspection and abatement warrant from a judge Friday to close the nightclub at 2266 Shafter Ave. in the Bayview neighborhood. The warrant is the first of its kind issued in The City during the public health order.

After the judge granted the warrant, police parked cars near the building to deter people from going in.

In a statement Monday urging the public to take the Covid-19 pandemic and stay-at-home order seriously, Herrera said:

“We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic. Cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season.”

San Francisco police Saturday carried out the warrant and confiscated DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture and other nightclub-related items.

In a statement, Police Chief Bill Scott said:

“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.”

Scott added that the shut down of the club is a reminder that The City will take action on anyone who violates the health order and puts lives in danger during the pandemic.

The City Attorney’s Office said they gathered evidence of the club’s operation and produced a time-lapse video from April 4 to April 6 showing 150 people entering and exiting the industrial building with multiple cars parking and leaving the space.

On April 8, a City Attorney’s Office investigator additionally found multiple cars entering and leaving near illegal club, and loud music could be heard coming from inside the building.

City officials said the evidence was consistent with information obtained in March when more than 100 people were seen entering and leaving the building.

A witness came forward to the City Attorney’s Office and said they heard gunshots near the club on March 15 and found it to be loud near the club on the nights of April 4 and 5. Police are currently investigating the prior incidents.

The public can report any public health order violations by dialing 311 or by using the SF311 app.