ATLANTA — Several people were injured Saturday night after a driver ran his truck into a Hiram restaurant while firing a gun, police said.
Eduardo Morales, 34, was arrested after a group of restaurant patrons detained him while he was trying to reload the gun, the Hiram Police Department said in a statement.
A concert was happening at the 278 South Bar & Grill when Morales drove his vehicle through the front entrance, the establishment’s owner told Channel 2 Action News.
Hiram police determined Morales had been asked to leave the bar earlier in the night because he was intoxicated, the agency said. He left the restaurant but returned in his black Dodge Ram 2500.
The man then began shooting at the restaurant through the window of his truck, police said.
“When his weapon was empty, Morales then drove the vehicle into the bar through the front doors striking numerous patrons,” police said.
One person was grazed by a bullet during the incident, and another was hit twice by the vehicle. The number of people who were injured is not clear, and police did not specify their conditions.
The truck stopped when it hit the restaurant’s bar. Morales tried to back out of the establishment, but the truck became stuck, police said.
“While the vehicle was stuck, Morales attempted to reload his weapon, but was pulled from the vehicle and detained by patrons of the bar until the arrival of law enforcement,” police said.
Morales suffered minor injuries while being detained, officials said. He was taken to Paulding Wellstar Hospital before being transported to the Paulding County Jail, officials said.
