4 Patrons Injured as Gunmen Open Fire in Billiard Hall

Vinh Pham was playing billiards Saturday night at the Kien Giang Billiard hall in Orange when the two men with guns walked in.

“One held a gun up and pointed it at us, and said, ‘Move,’ ” recalled Pham, 23, who was among more than 20 patrons in the hall just off busy West Chapman Avenue.

Within minutes, the two gunmen robbed one man of $700, started pistol-whipping patrons and then opened fire into the crowd, injuring four men, two of them seriously, according to police and witnesses.

Two of the injured were treated and released at area hospitals, and two remained hospitalized. Both are expected to recover from their wounds.

Police said the incident did not appear to be gang- or race-motivated. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s just another robbery,” Orange Police Sgt. John Richard said.

Police are not sure what prompted the gunmen to start shooting. Pham said he thinks that the men, who were not Vietnamese, may have gotten skittish when two customers entered the billiard hall during the robbery.

Pham said that one of the gunmen also became irritated after patrons ignored his order to move to a wall, struck Pham in the back of the head and then pistol-whipped another customer before both men started shooting.

Pham, who spent Sunday at the billiard hall nursing a bump on his head, said that the first gunman seemed irritated.

“He kept shouting, ‘I said, MOVE, man!’ And we all started to walk toward the back,” Pham said.

But as Pham joined the others, the first gunman walked toward him, lifted his handgun and struck him in the back of the head, toppling Pham to the floor beneath a billiard table.

“That’s where I stayed. I was scared,” Pham said.

The robber moved to another customer and pistol-whipped him, battering him enough that he required hospital treatment, Orange Police Sgt. Bob Gustafson said.

But as the customers were huddled together, both men began firing in rapid succession, shooting at least six times, according to witnesses.

On Sunday, bullet holes were evident near a rear office table and along the wall where a bullet ripped into wood paneling.

The robbery is the first time that an incident involving a shooting has occurred at the billiard hall, which has been open 2 years, said manager Vo Lap, 22.

Lap, who was not working Saturday night, said the hall is owned by an older brother who was out of town on vacation.

The hall, which has about 10 tables, is in the rear of a small shopping mall adjacent to a residential area.

A neighbor who was in her house Saturday at the time of the attack said she heard about seven “very fast popping noises” but thought they were fireworks.

Injured were Asari Mohamed, 20, with a gunshot wound to the back; Hoa Danh, 25, gunshot wound to the hand; Hung Manh Lee, 18, gunshot wound to the right shoulder, and a 17-year-old juvenile, gunshot wound to the right leg.

Lee was listed in good condition at UCI Medical Center. Danh was listed in good condition at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.

Mohamed and the unidentified juvenile were both treated and released from area hospitals.

Another customer, Umo Hossen, 21, who was struck in the head with a gun barrel, was treated and released from Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.