Police who responded to a home rental party near Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve found the downstairs bar over capacity, too, according to Chicago police.
It’s the second time The Dugout bar has been the focus of operational concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officers were called to a party in an apartment above the bar at 950 West Addison around 10:45 p.m. after someone reported that a 19-year-old had been hit in the face and people had guns, according to a CPD report.
Police never found the alleged victim, but they did find an unattended gun at the scene, according to Officer Jessica Rocco, a CPD spokesperson.
Cops also found a bar on the first floor over capacity, Rocco said, adding that crowds were dispersed from the tavern and two apartments above it. Rocco did not mention Dugout by name, but it’s the only tavern in the building.
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Police supervisors asked to have personnel from the fire department, building department, and the city’s Department of Business and Consumer Affairs notified. But, Rocco said no citations were issued at the scene.
“The incident was noted and the establishment may be investigated further by the city,” according to Rocco.
A webcam that streams footage from just west of the scene recorded nearly 100 people walking away from the area as police arrived. It’s not known how many people departed in other directions.
The Dugout did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment via email, Facebook, and its website.
In July, CBS2 reported the bar “was caught on camera breaking the state and city’s [COVID] reopening guidelines.”
“In the Facebook video, people are shown with no masks and not social distancing,” Tara Molina reported, “but there is plenty of service going on – almost two hours past the 11 p.m. closing time mandated by Phase 4 restrictions.”
The bar’s owner told CBS2 that people were “spreading lies on the internet.”
