1 Killed, 1 Hurt in ‘Rave’ Party Shootings : Violence: More than 100 youths were attending spring break dance when brawl erupted at Westlake club. One man is arrested on murder charge in connection with the second attack.

A 20-year-old man was shot to death and a teen-ager was wounded after a fight broke out during a spring break “rave” party at a Westlake club Thursday morning, police said.

Mario Martinez of Los Angeles, one of more than 100 young people who had gathered for a morning dance party at the Gotham Club in the 2800 block of Beverly Boulevard, was pronounced dead at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital shortly after the 10:30 a.m. brawl, police said.

Another guest, Eddie Mendietta, 17, of Los Angeles was in stable condition at County-USC Medical Center after he was shot twice in the stomach, homicide Detective Andy Cicoria said.

Cicoria said the club had been rented for a dance party that was to have lasted throughout the morning. It had drawn scores of high school students from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The dance--which featured music played by a disc jockey and that was advertised on flyers--had started about 9 a.m. “to accommodate the younger kids,” Cicoria said. Typically, he said, such dances occur only on weekends, but this one was held on a weekday because many students were out of school for spring break. Known as “raves,” such parties are organized by dance clubs and float from location to location.

About an hour into the party, Cicoria said, a fight broke out and several “dance crews” from rival neighborhoods began shoving their way into the middle of the brawl. A shot was fired, and Mendietta staggered out the door and collapsed on the sidewalk, the detective said.

The crowd stampeded out of the club, he said, with one contingent fleeing west on Beverly Boulevard. On the sidewalk, Cicoria said, Martinez was confronted by another party guest--Mark Norgren, 19--who whirled on Martinez and fired, hitting Martinez in the head.

Two police officers saw Norgren start to flee, and arrested him on suspicion of murder, Cicoria said. Two other youths, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were also held for questioning, he said.

A manager at the club, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the party had been scheduled a month ago, and the rental contract had been signed by an adult.

He said he could not recall the name of the group that had planned the event, but said that because the guests were going to be underage, the contract stipulated that no alcohol could be served. Guests also were to be frisked for weapons at the door, he said.

“It started out as just a little argument between two older guys, not school kids,” he said. “Somebody went out to break it up, and a bunch of kids slipped in.”

That, he said, is apparently how an armed gunman managed to get into the club.

“They did their best to keep it together,” he said, “but it got out of hand.”