Denver orders Southeast bar to close days after deadly downtown shooting

Denver’s Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection ordered Ultra Lounge East (Yak and Yeti’s Restaurant and Event Center) at 9755 East Hampden Ave to immediately shut down, suspending its hotel/restaurant liquor license and dance cabaret license. The move comes after investigators alleged the business had operated under a new owner without proper licenses and after a pattern of violence, including a March 1 deadly beating in the parking lot, an April 11 incident involving unlicensed security guards, and a July 20 deadly shooting in the parking lot that killed one person and injured eight. A hearing is set for September 11, and the bar must remain closed until a final decision is reached; appeals can be pursued in district court. Owner Dol Bhattari did not comment beyond statements reported by the station.