UPDATE: San Jose Sues to Shut Down Troubled Agave Sport Bar Amid Charges of Violence, Prostitution
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- Officials in San Jose are aiming to shut down a troublesome South Bay sports bar amid allegations of prostitution and violence in addition to being the site of a recent fatal DUI crash.
The name has been removed from the sign in front of the Agave Sports Bar and Grill on Alma Street in San Jose, but the business was still operating on Wednesday. The question is for how much longer?
On Wednesday, San Jose city officials filed suit against the establishment, seeking to have it shut down as a nuisance.
"It's been a trouble spot for many years," said City Councilmember Dev Davis, who represents the Willow Glen district where the bar is located.
Davis said she supports the City Attorney's action to try and shut the business down.
"There's been violence at that site. Someone lost their life there by another person being overserved at that location," she explained.
Last month, 32-year-old Alex Moreno was arrested for DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter after he backed his construction company pickup into a crowded outdoor table, killing one woman and injuring two men.
According to the charging documents, Moreno was receiving oral sex while behind the wheel from a woman he met at the bar when the crash happened.
"I can't comment on any ongoing investigations at the Agave Sports Bar, including if they're engaged in human trafficking or prostitution," said San Jose Police Sgt. Christian Camarillo.
The city's suit alleges undercover officers were solicited for prostitution by women working for the bar on two occasions in 2020.
Police say the business has also come under investigation on multiple other fronts, including allegedly trying to skirt health orders and stay open during the COVID shutdown last year.
"They were somehow putting it out to the public for people not to park their vehicles in the parking lot, to use a rideshare service, or park their cars somewhere else so it would not have the appearance that it was actually open," Sgt. Camarillo said.
Repeated calls to the business for comment were not returned.
San Jose is also seeking to have the owners pay overdue fines of $25,000 to the city.
"I think it's pretty obvious. They have not been good for the community," Davis said.
A nearby business that has a similar name -- the Agave Restaurant -- is located on Monterey Highway. The owner of that establishment told KPIX his business has been hurt because of bad publicity from the Agave Sports Bar. In fact, his restaurant reopened just one day after that fatal accident.