Two men are in stable condition and one is being treated after an overnight shooting at a Huntington Park nightclub Tuesday, according to authorities.
Huntington Park police confirmed a suspect is at large even as they arrested another man near the crime scene on unrelated charges.
Police said they received a call about a disturbance at 1:36 a.m. at El Kalua’s nightclub on Pacific Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare.
They arrived to find three men shot, according to Huntington Park Commander Kenneth Rulon. The three, who were not publicly identified, were taken to a local hospital, where two were initially listed in critical condition. One victim has since been upgraded to stable, according to Rulon.
Rulon said the shooting was not believed to be gang-related, but authorities were looking for a man who may have been involved. They did not release a name or full description of the wanted person.
Although there were witnesses, no weapon has been found, according to Rulon.
While police were marking the perimeter of the crime scene just around 2 a.m., they saw a man fleeing, according to Rulon.
The man, identified by police as 32-year-old Alexander Esparza, fled two blocks, partly by bicycle and then on foot, before climbing onto the second-floor roof of a building, according to Rulon. He was eventually subdued and arrested around 4:15 a.m., Rulon said.
“It’s one of those funny stories where you’re looking for a suspect and you find a criminal on the run,” Rulon said. “It was unexpected.”
Esparza is not a suspect in this shooting, according to Rulon. But he faces outstanding arrests for a previous burglary and grand theft auto, according to Rulon and court records. He was also charged with evading arrest, Rulon said.
“When he saw the police, he must have assumed we were after him,” Rulon said.
Esparza remains in a city jail while his bond was set at $130,000.