A local liquor store is under scrutiny by city officials for allegedly selling alcohol to minors.

Vinnie Manocha, co-owner of S&R Liquors on 18th and I streets, said his store has been flagged by the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration, although his license to sell liquor has not been revoked. ABRA representatives confirmed there is a complaint pending against the store but refused to provide further details.

The complaint is anonymous, but University Police Chief Dolores Stafford said she alerted Metropolitan Police Department about the store.

“I can tell you that I contacted MPD on several occasions about that establishment, as my staff received information from underage students that they purchased alcohol from that establishment,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Monocha said he heard he was flagged because of “more students than usual passing out and getting their stomachs pumped.” He declined to comment on whether or not he sells alcohol to minors.

Manocha added students may be drawing attention to his store when they drink in excess.

“I’ve heard I’ve had students naming me,” Manocha said. “I have had students getting stomachs pumped and they’ve got my card in their pockets.”

Cynthia Simms, a community resource officer for ABRA, said a complaint usually initiates a further investigation. The goal is to determine if the venue has an ABRA violation. She added they also find violators by having underage volunteers attempt to purchase liquor in a given venue.

Marc Berenson, a coordinator for EMeRG, said emergency medical providers only ask intoxicated students where they obtained their liquor in order to better treat the student. Disclosing this information to the administration – which is considered part of an individual’s medical history – is prohibited by law.

Berenson said EMeRG has received a larger number of alcohol-related calls – likely because they have increased their hours of service, he said, not due to a spike of drinking on campus.

Freshman Nicole Langworthy said students do not buy alcohol from S&R anymore.

“People don’t go there anymore, not after it was flagged,” Langworthy said.

Fines for selling alcohol to minors vary depending on how many times the business has violated the law, Simms said. They can range from $1,000 to $6,000 per violation.

Sonu Singh, an owner of Riverside Liquor on E Street, said his store has not had any problems with ABRA.

Singh said, “We do get a lot of fake IDs and if we catch them we do confiscate the IDs.”