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East El Paso bar shuts down after links to crime, fatal crash

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County District Attorney’s Office has obtained a temporary restraining order to immediately close an East El Paso bar after nearly 280 emergency calls from the property and a fatal hit-and-run crash.

Dirty Laundry, located at 3136 Trawood Dr., Suites E-1 and E-2, closed its doors immediately after the district judge signed the restraining order.

Case, 3136 Trawood LLC, Ortequi Ltd Texas Limited Partnership, Pro West Industries Corp. and bar owners and operators, including Victor Fernandez, Jose Luis Ortega, and Blanca E. Ortega.

According to a press release from the State Attorney’s Office, local authorities call the business a “common nuisance,” and under Texas law, a “common nuisance” is a place where people habitually go to commit crimes and management knowingly tolerates the activity or fails to make reasonable efforts to stop the activity.

An investigation with the El Paso Police Department Upper East Regional Command, DWI Task Force, Texas Gang Enforcement Center and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission revealed a habitual pattern of criminal activity. Undercover agents reported that bar employees facilitated cocaine sales on multiple occasions.

The case detailed a history of violence in the area, including attacks on peace officers and security guards, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Between February 2024 and March 2026, police filed 79 separate incident reports relating to activities at the Dirty Laundry, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats and public intoxication.

As KTSM previously reported, a 59-year-old man in a wheelchair died following a hit-and-run accident on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

The crash occurred just after 2 a.m. in the 1700 block of North Zaragoza, and Jesus Flores Garcia, 59, was struck by an SUV traveling southbound. Flores Garcia, who was taken to the hospital, died as a result of his injuries.

Man in wheelchair killed in hit-and-run crash in East El Paso

According to the District Attorney’s Office, witnesses told officers the night of the incident that the driver involved had been drinking at the Dirty Laundry before the crash.

The County Attorney’s Office states that over the past two years, law enforcement has documented 24 separate DWI incidents where the individuals involved were reportedly at or near the establishment.

“Public safety is non-negotiable,” said El Paso County District Attorney Christina Sanchez. “When a business knowingly allows violence and illegal drug activity, it endangers the families who live and work in the surrounding community. No business has the right to operate in a way that jeopardizes the well-being of our residents.”

Authorities also said the business routinely ignored state and local safety regulations, the District Attorney’s Office said.

The bar has been operating without a valid “place of assembly” permit since July 2025. Inspections by the City of El Paso Fire Department documented several violations, including inoperative exit signs and improperly secured gas tanks.

The State Attorney General’s Office said this restraining order is the first step in the legal process that could lead to permanent injunction. The hearing on whether the bar will remain closed while the case continues will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at 13.30 at the 171st District Courthouse.

“Businesses, property owners, managers and their patrons share a common duty to protect our community members, including the obligation not to look out for those who may pose a danger to others by driving while intoxicated. When this duty is ignored, the consequences can be devastating.” said Sanchez. “My office is committed to holding property owners and business operators fully accountable when their actions or inactions threaten community safety. By demanding the closure of this business, we seek to eliminate a persistent source of criminal activity and affirm that this community will not tolerate operations that endanger public safety or enable illegal behavior.”

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