Suspect 'mobbed' by bar patrons after alleged gun threat

FALLBROOK - A man who fired a gun and threatened customers at a Fallbrook bar early this morning was thwarted by patrons who tackled him and held him until law enforcement could arrive, a San Diego County sheriff's deputy said.

The man fired off at least one round into the air around 2 a.m. at the

Red-Eye Saloon at 1448 S. Mission Road before other patrons "mobbed" him, sheriff's Sgt. Ken Lawrence said. He fired the gun before demanding the other patrons' wallets and phones, Lawrence said, but he was unable to take on all of the bar's occupants.

Sheriff's deputies arrived to find the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Fidel Moreno, already subdued, Lawrence said, adding that a pistol with a loaded magazine and a spent shell casing were found on the ground nearby.

Moreno was arrested and taken to the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of robbery and weapons charges.