Nashville Bar Shut Down and Padlocked as a Public Nuisance

A South Nashville Bar and Grill that has been the scene of more than 120 police calls over the past 5 ½ years for issues including gunfire, drug transactions, drunkenness, fighting, illegal gambling, and breaches of the peace today is being closed and padlocked by detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division and Midtown Hills Precinct officers.

404 Bar and Grill, 404 Elysian Fields Road, has been declared a public nuisance in a temporary injunction and padlocking order issued by Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier. The order provides that the business stay shut down pending a hearing next Monday, and prohibits the operators of the bar, Nancy McGrath and Laura Wilson, and the owners of the property, Charles James Farris II and Howard Avery, from coming onto the premises pending further court orders.

"Calls to 404 Bar and Grill have been a drain on police resources for years," Chief John Drake said. "The men and women of the Midtown Hills Precinct, in coordination with other components, work very hard to serve the residents and businesses in this particular area. Having to respond to the same place for many of the same issues over and over again, over a period of years, isn't right. Enough is enough."

The police department and the District Attorney's Office allege that the owners and operators of the bar have shown a reckless disregard and deliberate indifference to the rights of adjacent property owners and even to their own patrons. Regular goings on at the place include reports of fighting, gunfire, assaults, drug law violations, loud music, vandalism, and security guard issues. In one instance in 2024, MNPD officers attempted to interdict drug transactions being conducted by a known MS-13 gang member in an adjacent parking lot. A pursuit ensued, and officers were fired upon from the fleeing vehicle (the individual was arrested later that night).

The Metropolitan Beer Board has looked into several issues concerning 404 Bar and Grill, including the sale of beer to at least three underage persons.

Numerous businesses and residential property managers in the area of 404 Bar and Grill have expressed concerns and/or complaints about the establishment. Last November, the police department held a community meeting to address the concerns. Representatives of 404 Bar and Grill were informed of the meeting and asked to attend. None did.