The Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, has been shut down for a week following a biker gang shootout there over the weekend that killed nine people.
“The Twin Peaks restaurant where the fight occurred will be closed for the next seven days out of a concern about further violence,” Waco Police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said Monday.
Waco police also said that more than 170 people have been charged with engaging in organized crime, following the Sunday fight between at least five motorcycle gangs.
“We are horrified by the criminal, violent acts that occurred outside of our Waco restaurant,” wrote Jay Patel, operating partner of Twin Peaks Waco franchise, on Facebook. “We share in the community’s trauma.”
Patel said that he considers “the police our partners” in creating a safe environment.
“Our management team has had ongoing and positive communications with the police and we will continue to work with them as we all want to keep violent crime out of our businesses and community,” he said on Facebook.
But in an interview with CNN affiliate KTVT over the weekend, Swanton criticized Twin Peaks for ignoring the police department’s advice to keep biker gangs away from the restaurant.
“We feel like there may have been more that could have been done by a business to prevent this,” said Swanton, noting that police had expected trouble with the bikers. “They absolutely have a right to refuse service to people that may be a harm to their patrons and employees. They didn’t do that, and today is the ultimate aftermath of what their decision was.”
The Waco restaurant had just held a “Bike Night” on May 14.
The eatery is a franchise member of the Twin Peaks chain of sports bar-style restaurants, featuring scantily clad waitresses toting beer in frosted glasses. The log cabin décor is meant to suggest a rugged, lumberjack-style theme.
The restaurant had scheduled a bikini contest for Wednesday, where customers would have been able to “see your favorite girls walk in out on the runway to compete for the title of Miss Twin Peaks Waco!”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims of the tragedy at franchise partner’s restaurant in Waco,” tweeted the Dallas-based company, which has 13 restaurants in Texas, more than any other state.
Holly Yan of CNN assisted with this story.
