San Diego hookah lounge closed for illegal nightclub activity

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert held a press conference Monday to announce the successful resolution of a civil suit that shut down The Secret Yard Hookah Lounge in Logan Heights.

Ferbert says the business was operating more like an illegal nightclub on Logan Avenue and selling liquor and hosting parties with DJ’s well past 2 a.m.

San Diego Police say officers were called out more than 200 times in three years for violations and complaints from residents including code violations, illegal gun sales, fights, attempted murder and even a homicide.

“I’m happy to say it’s few and far between where you’re going to see an establishment like this. I haven’t seen one like this in my career,” said Police Chief Scott Wahl in response to the number of times the operators ignored violations and disregarded the safety of patrons and the community.

“People coming and going were buying and selling guns,” Chief Wahl said. “It begins to creep and get worse and worse from there. When you look at the overall impact and the calls of service we were getting from this place, it was causing a negative impact in this neighborhood. This is a win for the Logan Heights community.”

Ferbert says the defendants will pay more than $100,000 in penalties and other costs and be on the hook for more than $1 million if they violate any part of the judgement.

“If there was a rule to be broken with this place they found a way to break it,” added Wahl.