AUSTIN (KXAN) — City leadership says there is a “prominent violent crime hot spot” in northeast Austin. During a news conference Thursday, law enforcement showed how data and traditional police investigations helped them take down bad actors and develop strategies to reduce crime in the area.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis led the press conference where officials from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and the Austin Fire Marshal detailed the investigation, which also included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Watch the full news conference from city leaders in the video player above.
“This is an area that has been identified as a persistent violent crime hotspot with many complaints,” Davis said. “We are talking shootings, stabbings — the gamut.”
Davis said the new plan started with data. A Place Network Investigation (PNI) showed, in 2023, that 900 E. Braker Lane had 430 calls for law enforcement service, 78 arrests, 10 shots fired, 30 guns seized and one homicide.
After analyzing the data, APD put together a task force to look at the big picture. The task force included agencies from the city, the police department, the state and the federal government.
“What is it about this place, this store, this building that makes it where criminals think they can commit these activities?” Davis asked.
The answers, they determined, were related to geography, types of businesses, socioeconomic factors and more.
The investigation
Austin Police Commander JJ Schmidt said the multi-agency investigation resulted in a search warrant for an adult night club and other nearby businesses. Investigators said the adult night club Diablas and another night club called Michelobos became central to their investigation.
TABC and the FBI helped serve a search warrant on September 26 at Diablas and Michelobos, resulting in the seizure of firearms, illegal gambling machines, and the issuance of citations for code and fire marshal violations. Officers said they made three arrests.
Neither the businesses named in the lawsuit nor the shopping center’s owner responded to KXAN’s requests for comment before deadline.
TABC Chief Ron Swenson said his agency also secured emergency orders to stop Diablas and Michelobos from illegally selling alcohol.
What’s next?
At the news conference, city leaders mentioned an active lawsuit seeking to permanently shut down both businesses.
Police said this marks the first operation of its kind in Austin, but that it won’t be the last. Davis mentioned an additional four crime hotspots around the city that the police department is eyeing.
“We move forward, and we’re looking at other hotspot locations,” Chief Davis said. “This is going to be the way we’re driving those initiatives.”
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