CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) -- Chula Vista Police are searching for a gunman after a shooting at the popular Novo Brazil brewery at the Otay Ranch Town Center left three people wounded Saturday night and prompted a lockdown of the mall.
Chula Vista Police said the Oct. 28 incident, which happened at around 7:16 p.m., started as a confrontation between two groups of people outside of the brewery. When the dispute made its way inside, one person opened fire and then fled the scene with a small group, according to police.
Police confirmed three people were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
The incident prompted responding officers to lockdown the mall as they searched the area for the group and other possible victims.
The lockdown was eventually lifted once police determined the incident was not an active shooter situation and there was no active threat to the area.
In a statement released Sunday morning, NOVO Brazil Brewing Company founder Tiago Carneiro said:
“There was a shooting incident last night at Otay Ranch Town Center with alleged participants eventually entering NOVO Brazil Brewing Company. One NOVO employee sustained a minor injury as a result of debris. One NOVO patron was struck by a bullet as an innocent bystander. We are grateful that both injuries are not life threatening, and we are praying for speedy recoveries.
We have operated without any major incidents since our opening in 2019. This was an isolated incident between two groups of people that happened to occur near NOVO, and it eventually spilled into our restaurant. Participants of the incident were not our customers.”
Carneiro said the brewery was opening for business Sunday as normal, adding, “We are, and always will be, a family-friendly community gathering point for Chula Vista residents and others from around San Diego County. Otay Ranch Town Center security is always nearby and will be conducting its normal operations to help keep patrons safe.”
ABC 10News spoke to several people at the scene of the shooting, and they described a scary situation that unfolded.
"We heard gunshots -- everyone panicked and the coworkers there and security did a really wonderful job, and Apple [store], of securing us and helping put us in the back," a bystander recounted. "It was pretty terrifying because we didn't know what had happened and it was pretty scary."
CVPD officials said Saturday night they believed the incident was a targeted attack and “as of this time, there does not appear to be evidence of a hate crime or any nexus to terrorism.”
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online at http://p3tips.com/409.
