A California city has erected a fence outside a restaurant that has repeatedly ignored coronavirus health regulations, a report said.
The fence was placed outside the Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill in Burbank on Saturday after a court ordered the establishment’s electricity to be cut off, according to a report from NBC Los Angeles.
The eatery has incurred nearly $ 50,000 in fines for violating public health regulations since the start of the pandemic, allowing for alfresco dining at a time when the practice was banned by the county, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A judge ruled on Friday that the restaurant cannot reopen without new permits.
The city had previously placed sandbags outside the company in an effort to keep it closed.
But on Tuesday, Lucas Lepejian, the restaurant owner’s 20-year-old son, was arrested for allegedly removing the barriers.
The restaurant’s owner, Baret Lepejian, told the Times he will not pay the fines.
“Show me some evidence of how I endanger the public,” he told the newspaper.
“This was never about safety or the public. It has never been about that. This whole thing is about fear and control, ”he said.