An armed man is holed up inside a North Phoenix dive bar early this morning, prompting police to shut down Dunlap Avenue and surround the building with officers, guns drawn. Witnesses reported that the man pulled out a firearm inside Dunes Cocktail Lounge near 35th and Dunlap avenues, and as of this morning he remained inside the bar while police worked to resolve the standoff.
Officers were initially called to the scene just after 2 a.m. today following reports of a man armed with a gun inside the venue, according to AZ Family. Police ensured all customers and staff safely exited the building before authorities taped off the scene and established a perimeter. Dunes Cocktail Lounge, located at 3611 West Dunlap Avenue, normally operates as a neighborhood dive bar and sports lounge with hours running until 2 a.m. daily, according to Restaurantji — meaning the call came in right around the bar's usual closing time.
SWAT Negotiators Try to Talk Suspect Out
The Phoenix Police Special Assignments Unit, the department's full-time SWAT team, has been attempting to communicate with the man still inside, per the same report from the station. Several SAU officers have guns drawn around the building as the standoff continues. The unit includes a dedicated full-time Crisis Negotiation Team specifically trained to handle high-risk barricaded suspect situations, according to the National Tactical Officers Association.
SAU operations have also come to rely on newer tactical tools, including quadruped robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot and aerial drones, which let officers assess armed threats and enter structures from a distance during standoffs, according to Police1. It remains unclear what triggered the man to display the weapon, whether any shots have been fired, or how long police expect the containment to last.
Dunlap Avenue Shut Down in Both Directions
Both lanes of Dunlap Avenue are closed at 35th Avenue while the standoff plays out, though police say eastbound traffic beyond the closure is unaffected. Residents and drivers are being asked to avoid the area until the situation is resolved, the station reports.
Arizona law adds a layer of legal exposure to whatever unfolds inside the bar. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 4-244(29), carrying a firearm into a business licensed to sell alcohol for on-premise consumption is generally prohibited unless the person holds a valid concealed weapons permit and the bar hasn't posted signs barring weapons — and even permit holders are strictly barred from drinking while armed, according to The Valley Law Group. Separately, Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3102 lays out 16 distinct misconduct-involving-weapons offenses — including carrying a deadly weapon into a liquor-licensed establishment or illegal possession by a prohibited possessor — carrying penalties that range from a Class 3 misdemeanor up to a Class 2 felony, per Tamou Law Group. Whether the man barricaded inside Dunes is a prohibited possessor or a permit holder has not been established.
A Corridor With a Troubled Recent History
The 35th and Dunlap corridor has seen repeated violent and traffic-related emergencies in recent months. Just two days ago, Hoodline reported on a 14-year-old boy critically injured after being struck by a vehicle in a marked crosswalk at the same intersection, which triggered major traffic closures of its own. In May, Phoenix Police responded to a shooting near 35th and Dunlap that left an adult man hospitalized with life-threatening gunshot wounds. And back in October 2021, Phoenix Police investigated a homicide at the same intersection after a 32-year-old man was fatally shot and a 17-year-old suspect was arrested for murder, according to a media advisory from the City of Phoenix.
This isn't the first time this year that Phoenix Police SAU has had to negotiate an armed standoff in the North Phoenix area. In March, SAU officers and crisis negotiators resolved an armed barricade at a North Phoenix apartment complex near 43rd Avenue and Camelback Road after a suspect fired shots inside a building during an hourlong containment. As of this morning, the man inside Dunes Cocktail Lounge remains barricaded, and police have not indicated when the standoff might end.
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