Hy Ting restaurant in downtown Riverhead has had its liquor license summarily suspended by the New York State Liquor Authority, the state agency announced in a press release this morning.
According to referrals from the Riverhead Police Department, Hy Ting has become a focal point for police attention since September 2017, the press release said.
Police have received at least six 911 calls for disturbances in or directly outside the premises within the last four months, according to the SLA. None of the calls were made by the owner, manager or an employee of the premises, the agency said.
On March 16, police responded to a 911 call to Hy Ting Restaurant regarding a fight involving several patrons. According to Riverhead Police, an argument began inside the restaurant and escalated into a fight in the parking lot outside the premises. All the patrons involved in the altercation refused to cooperate with the police, and when the police officers attempted to enter the establishment to speak to the owner, the licensee locked the door, walked away and did not return or respond to repeated knocks and verbal requests by police, according to the press release.
On Feb. 24, police responded to another 911 call concerning an altercation involving several patrons inside the licensed premises. Upon arrival, police spoke with a female patron who stated that she was in a fight inside the restaurant, but refused to be interviewed or identified, police said. A police officer then entered the premises and was confronted by the bartender, who stated that the dispute was a domestic issue, not a fight, and that it didn’t happen inside the bar, contrary to what police were told earlier by the female patron, according to the release.
Police responded to calls for two additional fights at Hy Ting Restaurant on Jan. 15, and Dec.22, as well as two calls for altercations on Jan. 20 and Nov. 11. None of these calls were made by a representative of the licensed premises, and at no time did the licensee contact the police department to report the incidents, according to the report.
Riverhead Police told the SLA the restaurant is being managed by Hung Loo, a convicted felon with a substantial criminal record, including one conviction for felony assault with a firearm, the press release said.
On the many occasions that police were called to the premises, Loo has represented himself as the licensee and owner of the restaurant, even though his companion is listed as the licensee, police said. Furthermore, during an SLA inspection, an investigator found evidence that Loo is the name on the bank account for the establishment and that he is signing the checks for the licensed premises, the agency said in the release.
Both the hiring of a felon and making a license available to an individual not listed on the license are serious violations of the ABC Law, the authority said.
On March 19, the SLA conducted a joint inspection of the restaurant with Riverhead police and observed over 20 violations of the ABC Law, 36 health code violations and other fire and safety violations, according to the report. On March 22, the SLA charged Hy Ting Restaurant with 48 violations, in addition to four pending charges against the licensed premises filed on Feb. 5.
“This establishment has continuously burdened the Riverhead Police Department’s resources in the brief six months that it has been open for business,” said SLA counsel Christopher Riano. “The manager, who has a criminal record of violent offenses, should not be involved in the premises, let alone supervising this establishment.”
The suspension was ordered by Chairman Vincent Bradley and Commissioner Greeley Ford at a special meeting of the SLA board of commissioners yesterday. Effective immediately, no alcohol may be sold or consumed on the premises.
The State Administrative Procedure Act authorizes a state agency to summarily suspend a license when the agency finds that public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action. When the SLA summarily suspends a license, it also serves a notice of pleading alleging one or more disciplinary violations. In invoking a summary suspension, the SLA has deemed the violation to be sufficiently serious upon initial review to warrant an immediate suspension. The SLA’s decision to summarily suspend a license is not a final determination on the merits of the case. The licensee is entitled to an expedited administrative law hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. An order of summary suspension remains in effect until such time as it is modified by the SLA or a reviewing Court.
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