Bar Brawl Leaves 4 Hurt

A barroom brawl erupted in the quaint, historic district of downtown Orange, emptying a nightspot of patrons as about two dozen men went after one another, some of them wielding broken beer bottles as weapons, police said Saturday.

The Friday night fisticuffs were triggered by a stare down between two customers at the District in the 200 block of West Chapman Avenue, said Orange Police Sgt. Dave Hill.

Four people were injured, none seriously, and Saturday the lounge, no worse for wear, was being prepared for a 1980s retro party.

The bar, which features local bands and attracts a younger crowd, opened about a month ago in the historic district, a nearly century-old neighborhood known for its antique shops and trendy eateries.

Officers were called to the District at 11:45 p.m. and found three people bleeding from cuts and a badly beaten man who had been punched and stomped, Hill said. Police had to pass through patrons streaming out of the bar’s two entrances.

Inside, officers found broken glass, overturned tables and the injured fighters.

“The cuts suffered by the victims were probably the result of broken beer bottles. There was no evidence of knives being used,” said Hill. “One victim suffered blunt-force injuries when he was kicked and punched.”

The injured were treated at UCI Medical Center in Orange, Hill said.

No arrests have been made and police did not identify the injured patrons, but Hill said that the instigator and his friends came out on the losing end of the match.

The incident remains under investigation.

On Saturday, a witness said that the brawl occurred during a birthday celebration. Police said it began when “the primary instigator” became belligerent when he felt he was being stared at.

According to a police report, the man walked across the room to confront the looker. Then both men were joined by friends who backed them up and the fight ensued.

The fight was the talk of downtown Orange on Saturday. The lounge is two blocks west of the area’s landmark traffic circle.

“The club is what this part of town needed, because it gives local college kids a place to hang out on the weekends,” said Matt Russell, who walked in to inquire about the fight and said he is a frequent patron.

“Last night’s fight was an aberration by stupid people doing stupid things. That’s not the type of crowd that frequents this place.”