Crime & Safety
Elmhurst Bar Blocks Cop From Entering: Police
City has yet to formally address the potential liquor law violation, public records show.
ELMHURST, IL — An Elmhurst bar's employees refused to let inside a police officer who noticed the bar was open after hours last month, police said.
The incident happened early the morning of March 14 at Fitz's Spare Keys, 119 N. York St., which includes a bowling alley and billiards, police said. Patch obtained the full police report this week.
According to the report, two officers saw several people inside the bar sitting at a table. One of the officers tried to get the people to open the front door, so he could speak with them about the requirement that the bar be closed by 2 a.m., police said.
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The people told the officer they would not open the door for him and continued to stay inside the business, the report said. The officer reported seeing a can of an unknown beverage at the table, but saw no one drinking.
The other officer drove around to the rear exit and found two people walking out of the business. The officer asked why people were still inside the bar when it should have been closed two hours before. A bartender responded that the two of them were in the basement, but the other people were their co-workers and having an after-shift drink, police said. The officer said the business was in violation of regulations with the after-hours drinking.
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The first officer spoke with the other employees at the front west side of the business. He told them about their after-hours violation and obtained their information, police said. Once everyone was identified and told of the liquor law violation, they were allowed to leave, according to the police report.
No one was cited, but the incident was documented as a violation of the liquor license, police said. The business closed, and everyone left.
In a public records request, Patch asked for any correspondence between the city and the bar about the alleged liquor law violation. The city produced none, indicating the city has yet to formally inform the bar about the issue.
Fitz's Spare Keys did not return messages for comment.
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