Police: Illegal Bar Shut Down

Fulton County police said they have shut down an illegal bar, also known as a "shot house," that was operating inside the garage of a College Park home.

Customers could go to the home on Surrey Trail and order a drink, or buy a six pack on Sunday, police said.

"An undercover officer walked right up and said, ‘I'd like some beer to go,’ and they packaged up a six pack for him. He paid for it and left," Fulton County police Capt. Wade Yates told Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer.

Investigators said they got a tip from neighbors who saw cars lined up in the driveway on Sunday afternoons. Officers conducted surveillance, made traffic stops as customers left, and sent in an officer with a hidden camera. They then returned with a warrant and the SWAT team.

Police seized bottles of liquor, several cases of beer, and arrested April Abercrombie, who they said was the bartender.

"You can't go into a bar and purchase alcohol to leave. You have to consume it on the premises, and they didn't have a consumption license. They didn't have a beer and wine license. They didn't have anything," Yates said.

They did have signs up on the walls advertising the prices for the drinks. Officers seized those as evidence also.

"The signs are actually going to show that it wasn't just friends coming over to enjoy a beer at somebody's house, because it talks about the drink prices and all that. So it'll certainly help with the prosecution,” Yates added.

Demetrius Jackson lives right next door and says he didn't know what was going on there, but he's glad his neighbors were paying attention and called police.

"That's good, because you don't want to have no negative activity going on to where it might lead to something else," Jackson said.

Officers also arrested two customers for outstanding warrants. Three others were charged with drug or alcohol offenses.

Yates said two of the customers wrote statements about how they discovered the home. He applauded neighbors for getting involved.

"It's just physically impossible to be in every neighborhood all the time. But the residents of the neighborhood are there all the time so they're our eyes and ears," Yates said.

Investigators said they couldn't charge the owner of the house because he wasn't home at the time of the raid. He told police he didn't know what was going on inside his garage.