Police in Arizona arrest nearly 250 people for underage drinking

TEMPE, Ariz. (NBC, KYMA) - A record number of people have been arrested for alleged underage drinking and possession of fake IDs at a bar in Arizona.

Around 57 officers responded to Tempe Tavern Thursday after after numerous complaints on underage drinking.

Tempe Tavern, near Arizona State University, packed beyond capacity with underage customers.

On Thursday night, dozens of Tempe police officers swarmed the area and arrested 249 people for underage drinking and providing fake ids.

It's the largest underage drinking bust Tempe police have ever seen. The second largest bust also happened at Tempe Tavern. In April of this year, police arrested 167 minors for the same thing: Underage drinking and providing fake ids.

In this case, the State Department of Liquor Licenses and Control cited Tempe Tavern for accepting fake IDs, failing to protect the safety of patrons and more, writing, "The high number of underage individuals and the acceptance of unauthorized identification indicate a significant failure by the establishment."

There was another bust in February of this year where two Tempe Tavern workers for arrested for serving booze to minor and accepting fake IDs.

An NBC affiliate in the Phoenix area called the owner of Tempe Tavern to see if he wants to talk about this latest bust, but he didn't answer.

Out of the 249 arrests, 246 were cited and released, and according to officials, three were booked into Tempe City Jail.