JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 After officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office Vice Unit cleared Tipsy Bar and Grill early Sunday morning in an after-hours raid, the agency issued a release about what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cJSO is not the fun police. But JSO will crack down on bars and restaurants breaking the law. It\u2019s not to stop the party but to keep everyone safe,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff\u2019s Office said it was conducting a crackdown at Tipsy, off Edgewood Avenue, after receiving multiple complaints about after hours service, violence and serving alcohol to minors.<\/p>\n
Officers have responded to two shootings as well as numerous other disturbances at the bar in recent months, JSO said.<\/p>\n
Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, investigators watched as three people sold alcohol past the 2 a.m. legal cutoff with hundreds of patrons still in the bar. They were issued criminal citations.<\/p>\n
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 part in the raid.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 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,\u201d the JSO release said.<\/p>\n
According to a woman who said she was inside celebrating her birthday weekend, officers entered the bar around 3 a.m. Sunday. The woman 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
A building violation adds to the bar\u2019s troubles<\/p>\n
When News4JAX arrived at the bar Monday, a stop-work order was posted on the door. It was issued after city inspectors said a recent building addition lacked proper permits.<\/p>\n
News4JAX reached out to the owner of Tipsy 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
This is not the first time Tipsy has drawn attention from law enforcement. <\/p>\n