“ABC agents investigate underage drinking and work to determine who furnished or sold alcohol to people under 21, particularly when a person under the age of 21 who had consumed alcohol is later involved in a crime.  This work holds those responsible accountable and also works to educate those who sell and or serve alcohol.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

CULVER CITY – On February 1, 2022, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) suspended the alcohol license of Cinema Bar located at 3967 Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City for 20 days. The bar is immediately prohibited from selling alcohol until the suspension period ends. ABC suspended the license because Cinema Bar furnished alcohol to Bianca Lopez, 20,  of Los Angeles. She was later involved in a deadly DUI crash that killed a 50-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy. Lopez was arrested on gross vehicular manslaughter charges.

The suspension of the ABC license at Cinema Bar follows a Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation.  Through the TRACE program, ABC agents opened an investigation after the early morning DUI crash on April 24, 2021 that resulted in two fatalities and injuries to others. ABC agents worked closely with the California Highway Patrol which investigated the crash. ABC agents collected evidence and interviewed witnesses to identify where the underage driver obtained alcohol. The investigation found that a Cinema Bar employee, Roderico Castillo of Placentia, furnished alcohol to Lopez at the bar prior to the deadly crash.