Suspect sought after three men shot at Huntington Park nightclub

Sept. 3, 2024 4:19 PM PT

Two men are stable and one is in critical condition after an overnight shooting at a nightclub in Huntington Park, authorities said Thursday.

Huntington Park police confirmed that a suspect is at large even as they arrested another man near the crime scene on unrelated charges.

Police said they received a call of a disturbance at 1:36 a.m. Tuesday at El Kalua’s Night Club on Pacific Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare.

They arrived to find three men shot, according to Huntington Park Police Cmdr. Kenneth Rulon. The three, who were not identified, were taken to a hospital, where initially two were in critical condition. The condition of one was upgraded and he is now stable, according to Rulon.

Rulon said the shooting was not believed to be gang-related. Authorities were looking for a man who may have been involved, but they did not release his name or full description.

No weapon has been recovered, Rulon said.

While police were marking the perimeter of the crime scene around 2 a.m., they saw a man flee, Rulon said.

The man, whom police identified as 32-year-old Alexander Esparza, rode a bike and ran two blocks before climbing to the second-story roof of a building, Rulon said. He was talked down and arrested about 4:15 a.m., Rulon said.

“It’s one of those funny stories where you’re looking for one suspect and you find a felon on the run,” Rulon said. “That was unexpected.”

Esparza is not a suspect in the shooting, Rulon said. He has outstanding warrants on suspicion of burglary and grand theft auto, according to Rulon and court records. He was also booked for evading arrest, Rulon said.

“When he saw the police, he must have assumed we were after him,” he said.

Esparza remains in a city jail. His bail was set at $130,000.