Second Man Dies From Pool Hall Crash

The death toll rose to two Thursday in the aftermath of the unexplained crash of a speeding Jeep Cherokee through the wall of a West Los Angeles pool hall that scattered patrons in an explosion of glass and wood the night before, police said.

The latest victim, David Roos, a 26-year-old Santa Monica College student, died at UCLA Medical Center of injuries suffered in the crash at Q’s Billiards on Wilshire Boulevard. Another man, Noah Baum, a 34-year-old lawyer from West Hollywood, died instantly when he was struck by the vehicle about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Los Angeles police said. The driver is in critical condition at UCLA, while another victim, a 31-year-old man, is listed in good condition at the same hospital.

As families of the victims grieved Thursday and regular clients and employees of the popular billiard hall sadly viewed the destruction, investigators said they were still unsure why the driver, Eric Red, 39, swerved across three lanes of traffic and into the building. Red, who authorities believe is a Hollywood film writer and director, has yet to be interviewed by police.

Investigators have interviewed many witnesses and have directed mechanics to examine the Jeep for clues of possible malfunction. Det. Mike Fisher said: “Mr. Red is the one man who would be able to enlighten us. This is not a normal act. People don’t normally rear-end a car and then veer off into a bar.”

Police and witnesses said the episode began at Wilshire Boulevard and Westgate Avenue, when another driver, Kenneth Hughes of North Carolina, stopped in the eastbound lane of Wilshire for a red light. Hughes’ Honda was then struck from behind by the Jeep Cherokee, police say.

After the initial impact, Hughes left his vehicle and saw Red slumped over his steering wheel. Moments later, the Jeep accelerated, pushed the Honda out of the way, veered across three lanes of traffic and headed for the pool hall’s outdoor smoking patio. The Jeep plowed into several patrons and slammed into the heavy mahogany bar.

Donal Tavey, 34, was tending bar. He said he heard an explosion, was struck on the back of the head by debris and turned to see the vehicle, bar and silver beer taps moving toward him.

“When it stopped there was a man pinned against the bar shouting, ‘let me out, let me out, it hurts,’ ” Tavey said. The bartender and others shouted for the driver to back up, but the car wouldn’t move. “The driver was screaming and shaking his hands, the car wasn’t working,” Tavey said.

Eventually, the driver shifted the vehicle to neutral, and Tavey and other bar patrons pushed it back from the bar. The pinned man was freed, but witnesses saw that another man had been pinned beneath the Jeep and had been pushed up against the bar as well. He was dead.

As Tavey and others attempted to help others, police said Red left his Jeep, picked up a shard of glass and began slashing his throat. He was wrestled to the ground by other patrons and one witness said he heard the driver shout, “Did I hurt anybody?”

On Thursday, friends prepared a small shrine for Baum outside the bar, the front of which was covered with plywood.

Like police, Hollywood agent Scott Penney said he believed the driver was the same Eric Red who is his client and has written and directed numerous action and horror films. Red was director and writer of the 1995 “Undertow” and was director and co-writer of the 1990 “Blue Steel. Penney said that Red’s career had slowed considerably during the last four or five years, but that he was preparing to make a comeback with a new thriller that was in the works.

“This is mind-blowing,” Penney said. “I talked to him three times a day. He was a little anxious about doing a movie again. He’d gone through a hard period.”

As repairmen worked on the damaged restaurant Thursday night, about 25 people gathered for a memorial outside, amid flowers, candles and a plaque in memory of Baum and Roos.

In a private ceremony inside the restaurant, about half a dozen people observed a moment of silence, including a man on crutches and a woman in a leg cast, both injured the night before.

“Everybody--employees and the customers who were here last night--are in deep shock,” said restaurant co-owner Avi Fattal. “We felt if we got together and talked about what happened, it would comfort everyone. I think it’s been helpful. When you’re in pain, it feels better to talk about it.”

*

Times staff writer Johnathon E. Briggs contributed to this story.