‘Not the fun police’: JSO says investigators raided bar after watching 3 staff promote alcohol previous 2 a.m. cutoff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Vice Unit cleared Tipsy Bar and Grill early Sunday morning in an after-hours raid, the company issued a launch about what occurred.

“JSO is not the fun police. But JSO will crack down on bars and restaurants breaking the law. It’s not to stop the party but to keep everyone safe,” the discharge mentioned.

The Sheriff’s Office mentioned it was conducting a crackdown at Tipsy, off Edgewood Avenue, after receiving a number of complaints about after hours service, violence and serving alcohol to minors.

Officers have responded to 2 shootings in addition to quite a few different disturbances on the bar in current months, JSO mentioned.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, investigators watched as three folks bought alcohol previous the two a.m. authorized cutoff with lots of of patrons nonetheless within the bar. They had been issued felony citations.

The JSO Vice Unit, Narcotics and Community Problem Response Units, Code Enforcement, the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, and the Fire Marshal all took half within the raid.

“Our agency will continue to work with our partnering agencies to ensure businesses in Jacksonville are doing everything they can to operate within the law and keep patrons safe,” the JSO launch mentioned.

According to a lady who mentioned she was inside celebrating her birthday weekend, officers entered the bar round 3 a.m. Sunday. The girl requested to not be recognized.

“Everything was nice vibe, nice chill setting, and we were just enjoying life — and then next thing you know we have these police officers, and they just like bum rush the scene,” she mentioned. “We were scared. We didn’t know what was going on.”

She described officers pushing patrons towards the exits. “They just came in, pushing everyone and telling them get out, get out — everyone gets out, it’s a raid, get out.”

A constructing violation provides to the bar’s troubles

When News4JAX arrived on the bar Monday, a stop-work order was posted on the door. It was issued after metropolis inspectors mentioned a current constructing addition lacked correct permits.

News4JAX reached out to the proprietor of Tipsy for touch upon each the weekend raid and the constructing discover. As of this report, we had not acquired a response.

A historical past of incidents on the nightclub

This is just not the primary time Tipsy has drawn consideration from regulation enforcement.

Months in the past, three folks — together with a safety guard — had been shot throughout a combat contained in the bar.

Investigators later arrested Khamari Graham on tried homicide costs in reference to that case.

‘Limited options’ in Jacksonville’s city neighborhoods

The girl who spoke with News4JAX mentioned she is annoyed — not simply with the bar’s troubles, however with what she described as a scarcity of leisure choices in Jacksonville’s city communities.

“It’s hardly anything for us to do in Jacksonville, especially in the urban neighborhoods,” she mentioned. “We have limited options. We try to go to the park, they shut down the park. You have a little meetup, they try to shut that down — so it’s really nothing to do here. The little entertainment that we do have, we try to take advantage of that and enjoy it.”

For now, the stop-work order stays posted on the entrance door of Tipsy Bar and Grill, and it’s unclear when or whether or not the enterprise will reopen.