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AUSTIN (KXAN) – The weekend brings thousands of people to downtown bars and clubs, but Austin police say one in particular is operating illegally and causing a lot of violent crime.
After making an arrest this week following an attack outside of Tellers Austin, an APD official wrote in an affidavit: “Tellers Bar, which operates as an illegal after-hours club, is an ongoing problem with numerous in the downtown area Violent crimes through assaults and robberies and even shootings. “
We reported on a shootout in March. Police said a woman was shot while sleeping in a car outside Tellers, adding that the two suspects had not previously been allowed into the venue.
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“It can get particularly noisy when the bars close,” said a bartender who works in the area. She asked us not to identify her for her own safety.
“We hear a number of brawls on the weekends as we close our own bar,” she said. “I’ve never been bothered by anyone, but it can be annoying.”
The Austin Police did not answer our questions about the reported illegal activity. What We Know: APD has written 42 crime reports so far in 2021 tied to the Trinity Street address. The most common incidents were bodily harm (10), disorderly behavior or fighting (7), and combating harassment (6).
APD records show a total of 81 crime reports linked to Tellers’ address as of 2018.
When we compared this to another bar on 606 Trinity Street, we found 42 crime reports since 2018. Two other nearby locations had one and no reports during this period.
We tried all afternoon but couldn’t reach the owner of the building where Teller is located.
When we called a number believed to be linked to this owner, a woman said to us, “I’ll give him the message when I see him.”
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The till door was also locked when we passed on late Friday afternoon.
“Given the number of people still in this building when we close, I’m particularly concerned about this place,” the bartender told us.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), which regulates companies that sell alcohol, tells us that they have no record of waiters and the company is not licensed with them. The agency said it was advising APD on the options it had for potential criminal proceedings.
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