Two people were shot and killed by security guard, who ended up wounded, during a gunfight outside of a Riverside nightclub early Monday morning.
The incident began shortly after midnight at the El Calentano restaurant and nightclub located in the 10300 block of Arlington Avenue near Tyler Street.
A man inside the club was apparently belligerent and possibly confrontational with other people when he was escorted outside by security guards, said Riverside Police Department spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback.
The man went to his car and retrieved a firearm before getting inside the vehicle and slowly driving in front of the club, Railsback said. A woman had also willingly gotten inside the car, he said.
The driver then opened fire as the sedan passed the front of the club — where the security guards were still standing — striking one of them multiple times, Railsback said.
The wounded guard returned fire, striking both the driver and the passenger.
The vehicle accelerated out of the parking lot, across Arlington Avenue and crashed into a business before stopping, officials said.
Elliot Torres, a performer at the club, said the security guard was bleeding badly from his leg following the shootout. Torres tried to help stop the bleeding while emergency personnel were on their way.
“The security guard was just doing his job. … The guy shot first, so he had to defend himself,” said Torres.
The unidentified guard was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. He is expected to survive, Railsback said.
The suspected gunman and his passenger were found still inside their car and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released their names.
After watching surveillance video of the events, investigators are currently placing blame for the incident on the driver who was killed, Railsback said. “He could have left peacefully but he escalated this,” he said.
A firearm believed to belong to the driver was located at the scene.
The relationship between the deceased driver and passenger is unknown.
