Daily News/ Sunday, July 25, 2004/ NEWS-3

One dead as man opens fire inside bar

Andrea Cavanaugh, Staff Writer
 

SIMI VALLEY -- One man was dead and another wounded after a gunman walked into a lounge Saturday afternoon and opened fire on seven customers and three workers inside, police said.

The suspected shooter was arrested in his van about three blocks from the bar -- The Regency Lounge at Los Angeles Avenue and Galt Street -- and investigators said they recovered a handgun from the arrest scene.

Neither the victims' names nor the suspect's were released, but police said all three men were bar customers. The shooting may have been part of a continuing argument, police said.

Bartender Mona Traxel witnessed the first shooting.

The gunman walked into the bar's front door about 5:10 p.m. and fired two shots, hitting a regular customer sitting on a bar stool, Traxel said.

"Does anybody else want to ---- with the cowboy?" she said the gunman asked.

"I thought he was going to shoot everybody," Traxel said. "I dropped to the floor and crawled to the office."

From behind the bar, Traxel said she heard a third gunshot -- this one wounding another customer.

Traxel said the shooting suspect had been in The Regency a few times before. In fact, she had waited on him Friday night and helped him to the door at closing time.

"He's a nice, drunk older guy; he never gave me any trouble," she said of the suspect.

The suspect apparently returned to the bar early Saturday looking for his credit card, she said. The bartender on duty called her at home to see if she had found it. She hadn't, she said.

Earlier Saturday, a 14-year-old male was shot and seriously wounded after a fight in the Arena Bar at the Grand Vista Hotel in the 900 of Enchanted Way, according to police reports.

A car leaving the parking lot at 1:50 a.m. was fired upon and the boy was one of its five occupants. No arrests had been made, police said.

The incident was not believed to be related to the shooting at the Regency Lounge.

Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7604 andrea.cavanaugh@dailynews.com