Tempe Tavern, an East Valley bar in Arizona, has closed after a series of law-enforcement incidents, including investigations linked to two fatal road crashes.
The venue at 1810 East Apache Boulevard in Tempe is reportedly liquidating its fixtures and equipment, with auction listings advertising items including bar stools, tables, refrigerators and beer taps.
The closure follows a deadly crash on US 60 near Mesa on 16 September. Police said 21-year-old Zachary Penrod allegedly struck two vehicles stopped on the hard shoulder while people were changing a tyre, killing an 82-year-old woman and injuring two other people.
According to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licences and Control, investigators executed a search warrant at Tempe Tavern after finding evidence that Penrod had been served alcohol there shortly before the collision. Penrod was arrested and booked into Maricopa County Jail.
Tempe Tavern had faced repeated scrutiny
The bar had already been linked to a fatal hit-and-run in September 2025. Tempe police said 19-year-old Ava Bellowe had been inside the venue shortly before a crash that killed an 18-year-old motorcyclist. She later surrendered to police and faces a felony charge of failing to stop at a collision resulting in death.
Tempe police also carried out a major liquor-law compliance operation at the tavern in November 2025. Officers found 249 underage people inside and made arrests involving alleged fake identification, underage intoxication and providing false information. A separate operation earlier that year resulted in nearly 170 arrests.
The city said the November operation also identified at least one fire-code violation, while the state liquor department continued its own investigation. Tempe police chief Ken McCoy said at the time that the enforcement action was intended to promote “safety, accountability, and preventing tragedies”.
Management at Tempe Tavern and its lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. Officials have not said that regulatory action directly caused the closure.
