JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office Vice Unit officers cleared Tipsy Bar and Grill early Sunday morning, citing several employees for allegedly serving alcohol after hours \u2014 and when News4JAX arrived at the bar Monday, a second problem was already posted on the front door.<\/p>\n
A stop-work order, issued after city inspectors said a recent building addition lacked proper permits, was posted on the entrance.<\/p>\n
What happened during the early-morning raid<\/p>\n
Officers entered the bar around 3 a.m. Sunday, according to a woman who said she was inside celebrating her birthday weekend. She asked not to be identified.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything was nice vibe, nice chill setting, and we were just enjoying life \u2014 and then next thing you know we have these police officers, and they just like bum rush the scene,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were scared. We didn\u2019t know what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described officers pushing patrons toward the exits. \u201cThey just came in, pushing everyone and telling them get out, get out \u2014 everyone gets out, it\u2019s a raid, get out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office confirmed its Vice Unit responded to the bar and issued Notices To Appear to several employees for their role in the \u201csale or dispensing of alcoholic beverages after hours.\u201d News4JAX has requested the incident report to determine how many employees were cited.<\/p>\n
A building violation adds to the bar\u2019s troubles<\/p>\n
Beyond the after-hours alcohol allegations, city inspectors flagged an unpermitted building addition at the property. The resulting stop-work order was posted on the front door when News4JAX visited Monday.<\/p>\n
News4JAX reached out to the owner of Tipsys for comment on both the weekend raid and the building notice. As of this report, we had not received a response.<\/p>\n
A history of incidents at the nightclub<\/p>\n