INDIANAPOLIS — A troubled bar on the west side of Indianapolis had its liquor license renewal denied this week by the state’s Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
El Chila, a sports bar in the 6300 block of West 34th Street, will now be required to close no later than June 28 of this year as part of an agreement with the Indiana ATC, the commission confirmed Wednesday.
The bar has had a troubled history, with multiple shootings in its parking lot since 2020. Indy police officers, working off-duty security, shot a man who they say pulled out a gun and announced, “Who wants to die,” after he was kicked out of El Chila in Nov. 2020.
In Sept. of 2021, an IMPD investigation into problems associated with El Chila resulted in the bar owners being charged with multiple offenses.
The Indiana ATC’s decision on Tuesday night reaffirms the Marion County Alcohol Board’s vote from earlier this month. The commission also voted to approve a settlement agreement to resolve El Chila’s outstanding alcohol violations.
That settlement means El Chila’s owners can transfer the liquor license to a new owner, as long as they submit an application within the next 60 days and comply with the following rules:
- Compliance with the corrective action plan previously submitted to the commission,
- No further violations, and
- Ceasing of operations on June 28, 2023.
Additionally, the ATC said the permit transfer application must be completed within 180 days.
