Alcohol Ban Sought at Theater in Wake of Shooting

Mayor Fred Hunter said Friday that he will seek a ban on beer and wine sales at the Celebrity Theatre in the wake of clashes among rap concert fans Thursday night that left one juvenile with a gunshot wound and forced police to clear out the theater.

Meanwhile, police said they came away from an interview with the 16-year-old shooting victim, identified by hospital officials as Willie Baker, 16, of Los Angeles, with few clues about the identity of the person who wounded him or what led to the shooting. He was reported in stable condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

“This one is hard to talk about,” Police Sgt. Chet Barry said of the frenzied events that led to the cancellation of sold-out performances by the rap groups Ice Cube and Too Short.

“Basically, what we’ve got is a juvenile shot through and through and we don’t know how or by whom,” he said.

Theater officials have refused to comment on the violence, but city leaders and downtown residents say the theater has become a magnet for unruly crowds.

The 2,500-seat facility with a circular stage is known for the diversity of its bookings, which range from comedy acts to rock, pop, and heavy-metal music. It is the only theater in Orange County that regularly books rap performers.

Police have determined that the shooting just outside the theater entrance shortly after 9 p.m. was unrelated to violence that erupted about half an hour later inside.

A witness to the shooting, 19-year-old Chari Hariston of Los Angeles, said she saw a man call out to his friends in gang jargon and threaten to shoot people as they stood waiting to enter the theater.

Hariston said another man recognized the first and punched him in the back of the head, reportedly prompting the gunfire.

“A gun went pop, and everybody started screaming,” a shaken Hariston said Thursday night. “Everybody dived. Everybody was running.”

Another disturbance started shortly after 9:30 p.m. when patrons began fighting in the audience. Some fans poured onto the stage apron as chairs were being thrown below the rotating circular stage during Too Short’s second number.

The show was stopped at 9:37 p.m., and police said theater officials called off the performances at 10:15 p.m.

John Reese, president of Phoenix-based VIP Security Services, which provided security for the event, said the problems were heightened by late-arriving crowds.

“With a situation like this where there is gunfire, people panic,” Reese said. “According to my personnel, all the patrons panicked.

“It wasn’t so much getting the people in as that they showed up late. Everybody showed up at once. The problem is when the gunfire went off, people rushed the doors.”

Police were already on the scene, and within minutes of the shooting, a force of more than 30 officers had stopped traffic on surrounding streets, while a police helicopter searched overhead for the gunman.

On Friday, Hunter said he would ask for a police review of disturbances at the downtown theater during the last three years and consider asking the City Council for a restriction on beer and wine consumption at the theater, which sells alcoholic drinks.

“If they (theater management) cannot provide proper security, then perhaps they need to go elsewhere,” he added.