150 people cram inside tiny, California club during coronavirus lockdown, video shows

A San Francisco nightclub was shut down on Friday after more than 150 people partied there in secret, police said.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Police Chief William Scott said in a statement on Monday that the club was shut down after an investigation showed it violated the city’s stay-at-home order.

“The operators of this illegal club senselessly put lives at risk in a time when our city is doing everything within our means to slow the spread of this pandemic and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public,” Scott said in a statement.

San Francisco Police Department officers were stationed outside the building to stop people from going inside, according to the statement. On Saturday, officers executed a “secured a civil inspection and abatement warrant” and took DJ equipment, fog machines, gambling machines, two pool tables, liquor, beer cases, bar furniture, and other nightclub items.

“This pandemic is deadly serious. People need to treat it that way,” Herrera said in the statement. “Education is always the first step, but willfully ignoring health orders is not acceptable. We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic.

“Cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season. Who knows how far the damage will spread? It’s the epitome of irresponsibility.”

As of Monday, San Francisco has 15 deaths and 957 people who tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 3:05 PM with the headline "150 people cram inside tiny, California club during coronavirus lockdown, video shows."