A man opened fire and plowed his truck through the front of a Georgia bar after he was kicked out for being too drunk, cops and reports said.
Eduardo Morales, 34, crashed his Dodge Ram into 278 South in Hiram at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night – but some bar goers jumped in and wrestled his gun away as he tried to reload it, reports said.
There were several injuries, including a woman grazed by a bullet and a patron hit twice by the truck, according to police.
Morales had been booted from the bar by bouncers, reports said, but he returned later in his truck and blasted multiple shots through his open window toward the bar.
“When his weapon was empty, Morales then drove the vehicle into the bar through the front doors striking numerous patrons,” Hiram Police Department said in a statement.
“His truck stopped when it hit the bar, after the truck stopped, Morales attempted to back out of the establishment but got stuck.”
The truck rested only a few feet from a stage where a band called Cannon had been playing moments before – and a witness told Fox 5 Atlanta he heard the engine revving as the driver tried to keep moving.
Mauricia “Moe” Puerto rushed the truck and dove in through the driver’s side window, WSB-TV reported.
“When I reached in there, I noticed he had a pistol and he was reloading and putting a magazine in – and that’s why I reached for the hand,” Puerto told the TV station.
“I grabbed the wrist where he had the pistol. He was putting up a fight and he wouldn’t let it go. And I kept elbowing him with my right arm.”
Others jumped in and took the gun, then helped hold Morales down until police arrived, reports said.
Morales was hurt during the tangle as was Puerto, who said the truck remained in gear and rocked back and forth during the struggle.
“And I had my left leg pinned between the wall and the truck and at that point I was just kind of like I needed help,” he told WSB-TV.
Morales is facing aggravated assault and aggravated battery charges, with more charges possible to follow, according to the TV station.
The bar posted a message on its Facebook page on Sunday saying “our hearts are broken over the events of last night.”
“We’ve always put our customer’s safety first and foremost and we are devastated,” the message said.
“We like to believe most people are good….and it showed last night,” it went on. “Many are heroes for their bravery and possibly stopping a situation that could have escalated even further. We will forever be grateful for these heroes.”
There was no timeline for the reopening of 278 South, the venue said in its message.