Encinitas coffee shop owner, bystander hurt when fight escalates into shooting

An Encinitas coffee shop owner and a bystander were injured Thursday morning, Oct. 13, when the owner’s gun went off as he and a patron struggled for control of the firearm in an alley, a sheriff’s official said.

(File photo)

The incident occurred about 8 a.m. at Ironsmith Coffee Roasters after the patron, who was in line to order, caused a disturbance and was asked to leave, sheriff’s Lt. Christopher Lawrence said.

That led to an argument between the owner and the patron in the back alley of the shop on South Coast Highway 101, north of West D Street. The argument then turned into a fight, and the business owner pulled out a gun, Lawrence said.

During the scuffle, a round when off. The bullet grazed the back of the shop owner’s neck, and shrapnel hit a bystander’s leg, Lawrence said.

The patron got ahold of the gun, and the owner ran to a nearby fire station on Second Street. The patron followed him to the station, where firefighters detained him until deputies arrived, Lawrence said.

The owner, a 37-year-old man, and the bystander, a 55-year-old man, were taken to a hospital for treatment, Lawrence said.

The patron, a 31-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of charges including assault with a deadly weapon.

The coffee shop owner was not arrested. Lawrence said the investigation was ongoing.