A MAN reportedly fired his gun into a concert before driving his truck through a bar, after being asked to leave the venue.
Several people were injured in the horror incident, which saw a driver plow his truck into a restaurant in Hiram, Georgia, on Saturday night, while firing a gun at patrons.
According to WSB-TV reports, the owner of 278 South Bar and Grill confirmed a man drove his truck through the front entrance of the building during a concert.
Images from the scene show a black vehicle with what appear to be bullet holes in the windshield inside the building, which is heavily damaged.
Hiram police said the driver had been identified as 34-year-old Eduardo Morales.
Morales was heavily intoxicated, they said, and had been asked to leave the bar.
While he had initially complied with workers’ requests by leaving the bar, he came back in his black Dodge Ram 2500 shortly after.
Morales then allegedly began firing a gun through the window of the truck, police said, only stopping once the clip was empty.
He drove the truck into the bar through the front doors, hitting numerous patrons on the way, and then tried to back out of the restaurant.
However, the truck became stuck, at which point he tried to reload the gun.
According to the restaurant’s owner, several patrons were able to wrestle a gun from the man’s hands and detained him until police arrived.
Several people were hurt as a result of the ordeal, including a security guard.
Patrons told Channel 2 Action News that one woman’s legs were crushed under the truck.
Another woman sustained a head injury from a fallen beam, they said.
Another man who helped wrestle the gun away from Morales had broken legs.
While many other patrons had sustained minor injuries, all of those hurt were expected to survive.
Morales, who had sustained minor injuries himself while patrons were holding him, was taken to Paulding Wellstar Hospital and then to the Paulding County jail.
The accused was facing charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery, with several further charges pending.
Ydon Gerneus, who was inside the bar when the shooting happened, said the bouncer pulled Morales out of the bar after he smashed two bottles together when he was denied service.
“Twenty minutes later, we heard two gunshots,” Gerneus said.
“Me and my partner fell to the floor. All you hear is glass breaking and people screaming and the car comes in through the front door.”
At first, Gerneus had thought the man was coming into the bar on foot. He said he helped pull people out from under the truck and under collapsed parts of the ceiling.
“We are still trying to process all this,” the restaurant owner said.
“Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved at this time. They are our main concern.”
While the restaurant remained closed today, the owners released a statement thanking everyone who helped deescalate the situation.
“Our hearts are broken over the events of last night. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,” it said.
“We’ve always put our customer’s safety first and foremost and we are devastated. We like to believe most people are good….and it showed last night. Many are heroes for their bravery and possibly stopping a situation that could have escalated even further.
“We will forever be grateful for these heroes. Thank you all for the calls, texts and support. Please check our page for updates on reopening as we do not have a timeline currently. Thank you again, we love you all.”
Police said some patrons ran from the bar before police got to the scene. Police are encouraging those people to get in touch with Hiram investigators at 770-943-3807.
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
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