NEW YORK, USA – DECEMBER 04: Staten Island bar, Mac’s Public House reopens again defying COVID-19 restrictions days after it was shut down in New York City, United States on December 04, 2020. The owner was arrested and fined on Wednesday night for opening his business amid coronavirus restrictions. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A judge has temporarily shut down a bar on Staten Island that's been at the center of controversy for months over its compliance with state and city COVID regulations.
The city says a judge order the closure after Mac's Public House sold alcohol last week despite having a suspended liquor license.
Deputies from the New York City Sheriff's office entered the business Friday night to execute a temporary closure order. Sheriff Joseph Fucito said deputies padlocked the establishment after it was swept clean and they made sure no one was inside.
The Staten Island bar has been at odds with city officials for months for testing the limits of regulations put in place during the ongoing pandemic.
The bar's general manager, Danny Presti, was arrested twice in December over repeated violations. A huge protest gathered outside following his second arrest and after the bar was declared an "autonomous zone."
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In a Facebook post this week, the bar's owners said they would fight the newest charges and forced closure.
