4 men arrested, 1 hospitalized after shots fired in altercation outside Balboa Peninsula bar

An unnamed man is recovering from injuries sustained in a shooting Sunday night on the Balboa Peninsula that ended with the arrest of four men from Riverside, police reported.

Officers were called to the intersection of Oceanfront and 23rd Street shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday following reports of a verbal and physical altercation, according to Sgt. Steve Oberon of the Newport Beach Police Department.

“It started at the corner, then went into the intersection,” Oberon said Monday. “The suspect pulled out a handgun and fired approximately three shots at the victim, striking him in the foot.”

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The four male suspects fled the scene, one ran away and three drove off in a vehicle described only as a gray sedan.

Esaul Arriago, 18, of Riverside, was taken into custody shortly after attempting to escape the scene on foot, Oberon said.

The sedan with the other three men was soon located by Huntington Beach police helicopter HB1 and Costa Mesa police officers on the 55 Freeway, near the Fair Drive exit. With assistance from CMPD, the three suspects were taken into custody.

The shooter — identified as David C. Pennington, 18, of Riverside — was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a crime and assault with a deadly weapon, according to Oberon.

Arriago and the two other occupants of the vehicle, a 17-year-old male whose name is withheld because he is a minor and Saul E. Chavez, 18, were all booked on suspicion of conspiracy.

Residents who witnessed the police activity described the victim as a bouncer or security guard at a nearby establishment. Oberon did not say whether the victim and suspects might have quarreled inside a nearby business prior to the altercation, but the intersection where the fight took place is right outside a bar and restaurant that was open at the time.