Skinheads beat up Latinos at bar

Trio treated at hospital after attack by gang of 10

SubSun.com/January 6, 2005
By Bill Byron

Redlands -- A gang of about 10 skinheads attacked three Latino bar patrons in the parking lot of Larry Flynt's Hustler Club early Wednesday. The topless bar has been the scene of a number of brawls recently, police said.

The victims described their attackers as skinheads white men in their 20s with shaved heads. The assailants claimed membership in skinhead gangs in Redlands and Riverside and yelled racial slurs before and during the assault, according to the victims.

The three victims were cut and bruised and taken to nearby hospitals. One of the men's arms was broken.

The topless bar, at 1331 W. Colton Ave., has been the scene of about nine "significant disturbances' in the past year, Redlands police spokesman Carl Baker said.

The bar has been known as Larry Flynt's Hustler Club for about a year but has been a strip club for about nine years.

"We've experienced more disturbances in the last several months,' Baker said. "We've set up a meeting with the management of the club to discuss some of the ongoing issues, to see what we and they can come up with to resolve some of the ongoing issues there.'

Bill Pigott, a manager at the bar who was working the night of the fight, said he was unaware of the scheduled meeting with police and code-enforcement officials.

"We've been talking about (increasing security measures) ourselves,' Pigott said. "You can't pick your clientele, (but) we do everything in our powers to prevent situations like that.'

Fights, Pigott said, occur at the topless bar about once every month or so. The bar currently employs two to seven private, unarmed security guards and has cameras in the parking lot.

Baker said parking-lot cameras, increased security and increased police patrols will all be discussed at the meeting.

Police have a lead on at least one of the suspects, but he was not at his residence when police arrived there Wednesday.

Anyone with information is asked to call police Detective Rick Smith at (909) 798-7681.