On Tuesday, Haight bar owner Cyril Hackett was charged with second degree robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, both felonies. These charges could impact his ability to operate his three bars: Mad Dog in the Fog on 1568 Haight St., The Kezar Pub at 770 Stanyan St., and Murio’s Trophy Room at 1811 Haight St.
Hackett, 63, is a Haight Street fixture. Known for European football screenings at Kezar, his MAGA-coded meetups at Mad Dog in the Fog, and, among other business owners, for being an intimidating neighbor, Hackett is an outsized character in a neighborhood famous for them.
Following a dispute over a parking spot, Hackett entered the Grateful Dead-themed apparel store Further (a few doors down from Mad Dog) on Friday evening around 9 p.m., attacking one employee with a baseball bat before stealing a shirt and leaving. He was arrested early Saturday morning.
In situations where a licensee is charged with a crime, the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) can investigate and take action against the licensee, said San Francisco-based criminal defense attorney Adam Gasner. The ABC’s disciplinary guidelines state that alcoholic beverage licenses are revoked if the licensee commits a crime involving moral turpitude (that is, wicked, deviant, and shocking). Generally, a simple assault is not considered a crime of moral turpitude, though the presence of a deadly weapon — in this case, the bat — may elevate the offense.
Also grounds for license revocation is petty theft committed away from the license premises, according to the ABC. Sometimes, a license can be revoked for a probationary period, during which the licensee must meet certain behavioral and procedural conditions. Failure to comply results in a permanent revocation.
“In this case, although the bar owner was at work, it does not appear this alleged act of violence was against a patron, but rather was directed at an employee of a neighboring business, which, although serious, may be a mitigating factor,” said Gasner. He added that the ABC can take action against a licensee even if the charges do not result in a conviction in criminal court.
If convicted, Hackett’s charges could result in jail time. In California, second-degree robbery (Penal Code § 211) involves force, fear, or intimidation in the presence of a victim. A conviction of second degree robbery can result in a two-, three-, or five-year prison sentence, a fine of up to $10,000, formal felony probation, and/or victim restitution. Assault with deadly weapon (Penal Code § 245(A)), in Hackett’s case as a felony, can result in a four-years prison sentence, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
A native of County Kildare in eastern Ireland, Hackett moved to the US roughly 40 years ago. In addition to the bars, Hackett owns a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm at 317 Sloat Blvd., which he started with his aunt in 1985. He’s operated Kezar Pub for more than 20 years. Hackett purchased Mad Dog in the Fog, the English pub previously located in the Lower Haight, in late 2021, and had also recently purchased Murio’s Trophy Room, also on Haight.
Devin Blankenship, a spokesperson for ABC, said the agency could not speculate on any disciplinary action before an investigation has been completed.
Hackett did not respond to Gazetteer SF’s requests for comment by time of publication.
