Los Imperios Receives One-Day Liquor License Suspension

Following several incidents that were referred to the Liquor Control Commission, Los Imperios had its liquor license suspended and was fined $1,000.

By Ronni Newton

The Liquor Control Commission suspended the liquor license of Los Imperios for one day – Thursday, Oct. 26 – as a result of two incidents that took place last spring.

The first incident occurred just before 2 a.m. on May 20, and according to the police report stemmed from a noise complaint.

Police said that after approaching a group of people standing outside a vehicle parked near Los Imperios. Police were asked to wait a few minutes while they resolved a problem with the car, the police report states, but after observing the group from across the street, police reporting seeing a woman removed from the back of the vehicle and placed on the grass.

That woman, police said, was highly-intoxicated and had vomited all over the backseat of the car.

The West Hartford Fire Department and AMR were called to the scene, and the woman was transported via ambulance to John Dempsey Hospital, police said.

One of the witnesses told police that the group had come from Los Imperios, where they had been served alcoholic beverages. The incident was referred to the Liquor Control Commission.

The other incident that led to the suspension took place on June 3, when two bartenders at Los Imperios were caught serving underage patrons who were part of a compliance check. They received summonses and the incident was referred to the Liquor Control Commission. 

Lora Rae Anderson, spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection said in an email that after police sent referrals to the Liquor Control Commission, “the establishment signed an offer in compromise as a result of compliance meetings held to discuss those incidents.” The terms of the offer are determined based on violations and evidence, she said, and in this case resulted in the one-day suspension and $1,000 fine.

This is the second time that Los Imperios has had its liquor license suspended and sustained a fine in the past few months. The license was suspended from Sept. 11-13 for “sale to minor” and “minor in barroom,” and Los Imperios was fined $750.

Los Imperios and its owners are currently facing several legal issues, including a complaint filed earlier this month by its landlord with the court requesting that the business vacate the premises due to non-payment of rent.

A complaint has also recently been filed against Los Imperios, the business owners, and the landlord by the Town of West Hartford and Police Chief Tracey Gove, seeking an injunction to require the establishment to comply with town ordinances and to remit more than $76,000 the town has incurred for police detail that has been assigned to the business, as well as to pay the penalties that have been assessed for non-compliance with ordinances.

Despite having its entertainment license suspended, Los Imperios has continued to provide DJ entertainment several nights a week.

Residents of the Farmington Avenue neighborhood where Los Imperios is located filed a remonstrance petition with the State Liquor Control Commission on Sept. 22, objecting to the renewal of Los Imperios’ liquor license. The renewal date is Nov. 13, 2017.

Anderson said Friday that the remonstrance hasn’t been scheduled yet but that it should be happening soon.

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