LOS ANGELES – City Attorney Mike Feuer today announced that his office is seeking an injunction against the owners and operators of El Troquero Bar in East Los Angeles in an effort to crack down on rampant alleged gang and narcotics activity at the property. The bar allegedly has been the epicenter for violent crime, including shootings inside the bar and a 2014 shooting of two people just outside the bar, which resulted in the death of one victim.
The lawsuit is part of a sustained effort by Feuer and law enforcement to target properties that allegedly are magnets for gangs, guns, and narcotics activity, including dozens of abatement lawsuits filed against properties in Hollywood, South Los Angeles, Watts, Venice and Del Rey.
“As is too often the case, a single property can erode public safety and the quality of life for an entire neighborhood,” said Feuer. “Every business and property owner has a responsibility to the community. My office will continue to hold accountable those whom we allege flout the law or facilitate illicit illegal activity.”
The abatement lawsuit names Jesus Muniz Rivera, the owner and operator of El Troquero Bar located at 2119 East Cesar Chavez Avenue, as well as the property owners, the Trustees of the Katz Family Trusts. The lawsuit also names employees of the bar, including Mario Rodriguez, Victor Jesus Lombera, Marisol Del Rio Lombera, and Deisy Joanna Calderon.
For several years, El Troquero Bar allegedly has served as a base for gang activity, regularly allegedly employing persons (including a Tiny Boys gang member) who facilitate the sale of narcotics there, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. The bar also is alleged to unlawfully sell alcohol to obviously intoxicated individuals, and to pay a commission to persons who solicit alcoholic drinks from patrons. Other nuisance activity allegedly regularly spills out of the bar into the surrounding community, including a myriad of violent crimes such as assaults, robberies at gunpoint and shootings.
The lawsuit seeks a court-appointed receiver to manage the bar and property, and an injunction prohibiting narcotics activity, the unlawful sale of alcoholic beverages and the possession of firearms at the property. All employees named in the lawsuit would be prohibited from coming within 1,000 feet of the property. The proposed injunction also seeks numerous security improvements to the bar, including employment of licensed security guards, the installation of video surveillance cameras, and a metal detector system.
Deputy City Attorney Christian Commelin is handling the litigation.
