Man held without bail in crash that injured 3 when van plowed into crowd outside Encinitas bar

A man accused of driving a U-Haul van into a crowd outside a bar in Encinitas last weekend remained in jail without bail Monday, March 2, and three men who were hit and injured by the vehicle were being treated at hospitals.

Christian Davis, 28, is scheduled to be arraigned later this week. He was held in the Vista jail on suspicion of attempted murder and attempted escape from custody with force, stemming from the incident outside The Saloon early Sunday, March 1.

According to information released Monday, March 2, by the Sheriff’s Department, a 25-year-old man with serious injuries was undergoing surgery and a 24-year-old man was listed in stable condition in an intensive care unit. The third man, 23, was treated for minor injuries.

Two other men who reportedly helped detain the suspected driver were treated for minor injuries.

Sheriff’s officials and witnesses allege Davis had been asked to leave the bar because he was highly intoxicated. One witness said a “belligerent” Davis made a threat before he walked away.

“He was like, ‘I’m going to come back for you guys,’” Tyler Harris told OnScene TV.

Moments later, about 1:20 a.m., a chaotic scene unfolded when the rental van was driven onto the sidewalk and into the crowd outside the bar on South Coast Highway 101, in a stretch lined by restaurants and bars. Some bar-goers jumped out of the way, while others said friends pulled them out of the path of the van.

Alex Anaya told OnScene TV he was inside the bar when he saw the door bashed in. Anaya said he helped one of the wounded by using his belt as a tourniquet on the man’s leg.

“He was bleeding all over the floor, everywhere,” Anaya said.

-- David Hernandez is a reporter for The San Diego Union Tribune