EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Attorney’s Office has obtained a temporary restraining order to immediately shut down an East El Paso bar, following nearly 280 emergency calls from the property and a deadly hit-and-run crash.
Dirty Laundry, located at 3136 Trawood Dr., Suites E-1 and E-2, has closed its doors effective immediately after a district judge signed the restraining order.
The lawsuit was filed against the bar owners and operators, including 3136 Trawood LLC, Ortequi Ltd Texas Limited Partnership, Pro West Industries Corp., and Victor Fernandez, Jose Luis Ortega and Blanca E. Ortega.
According to a press release by the County Attorney’s Office, local authorities call the business a “common nuisance” and under Texas law, a “common nuisance” is a place where people habitually go to commit crimes and where management knowingly tolerates the activity or fails to make reasonable efforts to stop the activity.
An investigation with the El Paso Police Department Upper East Regional Command, DWI Taskforce, the Texas Anti-Gang Center, and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission revealed a pattern of habitual criminal activity. Undercover agents reported that the bar employees facilitated cocaine sales on multiple occasions.
The lawsuit detailed a history of violence at the location, including assaults on peace officers and security guards, according to the County Attorney’s Office.
Between February 2024 and March 2026, police generated 79 separate case reports for activity at Dirty Laundry, which included aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats and public intoxication.
As KTSM previously reported, a 59-year-old man in a wheelchair was killed after a hit-and-run crash on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
The crash happened just after 2 a.m. at the 1700 block of North Zaragoza, where Jesus Flores Garcia, 59, was struck by an SUV that was traveling southbound. Flores Garcia was transported to a hospital and died as a result of his injuries.
Man in wheelchair killed in hit-and-run crash in East El Paso
According to the County Attorney’s Office, witnesses told officers the night of the incident that the driver involved had been drinking at Dirty Laundry before the crash.
The County Attorney’s Office notes that over the past two years, law enforcement has documented 24 separate DWI incidents, in which the individuals involved had reportedly been at or near the establishment.
“Public safety is non-negotiable,” El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez said. “When a business knowingly permits violence and illegal drug activity, it endangers the families who live and work in the surrounding community. No establishment is entitled to operate in a manner that compromises the well-being of our residents.”
Authorities have also said that the business routinely ignored state and local safety regulations, the County Attorney’s Office stated.
The bar has been operating without a valid permit for “places of assembly” since July 2025. Inspections by the City of El Paso Fire Marshal’s Office documented several violations, such as inoperable exit signs and improperly secured gas tanks.
The County Attorney’s Office said this restraining order is the first step in a legal process that may lead to a permanent injunction. A hearing is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, in the 171st District Court to determine whether the bar will remain closed while the case proceeds.
“Businesses, property owners, managers and their patrons share a collective duty to protect our fellow community members, including the critical obligation not to overserve individuals who may pose a danger to others by driving while intoxicated. When that duty is ignored, the consequences can be devastating.” Sanchez said. “My office remains committed to holding property owners and business operators fully accountable when their actions, or inaction, threaten community safety. By seeking closure of this business, we are seeking to remove a persistent source of criminal activity and affirming that this community will not tolerate operations that compromise public safety or enable unlawful conduct.”
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