San Diego police said they're investigating a string of attacks in Hillcrest over the weekend as possible hate crimes.
Just after midnight Saturday, the suspect or suspects fired pellets out of a vehicle toward four Hillcrest establishments on 5th Avenue and University: The Rail bar, Rich's nightclub, Number 1 Fifth Avenue and the Pecs Bar, all of which are LGBTQ+ hot spots.
Three employees suffered varying degrees of non-life-threatening injuries as a result, police confirmed.
Police say there was a fifth attack. A man was hit by gel pellets while walking with his wife in Old Town earlier in the evening. That man not was injured, according to investigators, nor is that incident believed to be hate-motivated.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The suspect's vehicle is described as a newer, black sedan, and police are asking anyone with information to call law enforcement.
Authorities believe the pellets were fired from what's often called an "Orbeez" gun. Gel pellets are often fired from kids' toys and sold at retail stores for around $50.
Local
Isaac Vargas, the owner of The Rail, shared video that shows the moment the bar's security guard was shot in the arm by a pellet. Vargas said the incident immediately sent the staff into defensive mode.
“As soon as that happened, we’re like OK, shut down the patio and get everybody inside,” Vargas said.
No one else was injured in that incident.
San Diego police said the suspect(s) then targeted Rich's nightclub. Owner Ryan Bedrosian said several of his staff members were struck by projectiles, including Eddie Reynoso, who was hit near the eye.
“They were driving by pretty fast, but they also slowed down. I saw two people hanging out the window. It appeared as if one of them may have been recording," Reynoso said. "That’s kind of what caught my attention, and when I looked at the backseat, I just saw someone holding like an automatic gun, and my reaction was to crouch, but by then, it was too late, you know. They had already fired, and you could hear the noise, a 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.'”
For a few terrifying few minutes, Reynoso wasn't sure if he would live or die.
"Regardless of whether it was a real gun or a pellet gun, it was trauma," Reynoso said.
In security footage, Reynoso can be seen reacting to getting shot in the eye with a gel pellet. He fell backgrounds to the ground.
He says the pellet was fired from the back seat of a dark-colored sedan. The pellet that penetrated Reynoso's right eye caused a cornea tear and abrasion. He has blurred vision, but doctors say it is temporary.
“It could have been worse," Reynoso said. "I could have had major eye damage."
These incidents come on top of the FBI warning to LGBTQ+ communities around the country about such targeted attacks. It makes an uneasy start to pride month, which is less than two weeks away.
"Am I afraid of June? I think it is going to be safer, but we still have to be vigilant. That never goes away from us," Reynoso said.
Reynoso keeps a metal pellet that was fired at him in a separate incident several months ago.
"I keep it in my tip bucket just as a reminder to stay vigilant," Reynoso said.
No injuries were reported at the shooting at the Pecs Bar and Number One Fifth Avenue, police said.
In part of a statement posted on Instagram, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents the Hillcrest community, wrote that "acts of violence, especially those targeting individuals based on their identity are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Whitburn is also asking San Diego police to commit more patrols to the Hillcrest area.
