Editor’s Note: This story was updated to indicate that the officer was off duty at the time of the incident.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Paper Tiger, alleging the San Antonio music venue illegally blocked a police officer from bringing a service weapon onto its premises.
Paper Tiger staff prevented SAPD Officer Raul Tijerina from entering with his weapon on Jan. 17, according to the lawsuit filed on Thursday in Bexar County District Court against restaurateur Chad Carey’s Empty Stomach Group, which owns the club at 2410 N. St. Mary’s St.
“Officer Tijerina attempted to inform management of the law, but they refused to listen,” the suit alleges. “San Antonio Police was called [sic], and several officers including supervisors came to the location. The on-duty San Antonio Police [sic] officers attempted to inform management of the law, but they adamantly refused to comply.”
The Office of the Attorney General sent a letter to Paper Tiger on Feb. 19 “in an effort to secure a commitment to comply with the law,” the suit further asserts. However, “Paper Tiger failed to respond within the 15-day time frame given.”
SAPD confirmed with the Current that the officer was off-duty and dressed in plain clothes when he attempted to bring a gun into the venue to see Y’all Out Boy, a Fall Out Boy cover band. When reached for comment, Empty Stomach Group owner Chad Carey told the Current he doesn’t have much to say at the moment, adding “I haven’t been served yet so all I know is what was filed.”
The suit cites a 2017 Texas law, which states that any business serving the public “may not prohibit or restrict a peace officer from carrying on the establishment’s premises a weapon that the peace officer is authorized to carry, regardless of whether the peace officer is engaged in the actual discharge of the officer’s duties while carrying the weapon.”
However, the penalty for breaking the law amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist. An establishment found in violation is subject to a $1,000 fine. Paxton also served San Antonio River North-area bar Lucky Duck with a similar lawsuit in February 2024. The establishment paid the $1,000 fine even though its owners maintained that employees didn’t prohibit an officer from entering the premises with a weapon, the Express-News reports.
Paxton, a MAGA Republican who’s currently running for U.S. Senate, also sued the State Fair of Texas for such a violation. However, that high-profile suit was thrown out in June.
Other establishments owned by Empty Stomach Group include McCullough Avenue pizzeria Barbaro, downtown bar Double Standard, St. Mary’s Strip wine bar Little Death and Asian-fusion restaurant Hot Joy, among others.
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This article appears in Aug 21 – Sep 2, 2025.
