Strip Club Customers Lose Legs In Crash At Sam's Hofbrau; Terrence Meeks Arrested
Updated at the bottom with the suspect charged only with DUI. First posted shortly after 7 a.m. Monday. Headline has changed.
samshofbrau.com
Two men had legs amputated after a driver rammed them against another car in the parking lot of the Sam's Hofbrau strip club over the weekend, police said.
One of the victims had to have both his legs amputated; the other lost one his legs, authorities said.
A suspect was identified as ...
... 40-year-old Terrence Meeks, according to Fox 11 News.
L.A. County Sheriff's Department inmate data shows Meeks was arrested at 3:05 a.m. Sunday and remained behind bars in lieu of a half-million-dollar bail. Fox 11 News said he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drunk driving.
The attack happened after last call Sunday morning at the club at 1751 E. Olympic Blvd., which is near South Alameda Street, police said.
TV news footage showed an older, white sedan that had allegedly pinned the victims against a Mini Cooper. That car appeared to have been shoved against the building as a result of the force.
Some reports suggested hate crime might have been a motive, but cops weren't yet saying what might have set a suspect off.
LAPD Lt. Lee McMillion, however, didn't mince words about the driver's actions. The motorist allegedly rammed the men "with malicious intent,'' he told City News Service.
Sam's Hofbrau has received "best of" accolades from the likes of LA Weekly and Los Angeles magazine.
[Update at 3:43 p.m.]: A detective told us this afternoon that, despite reports of a possible hate crime having been committed here, it's not clear at this point if the suspect allegedly did this on purpose:
We don't know if it was unintentional or if it was a drinking-inspired act.
He said the LAPD would present its evidence to the L.A. County District Attorney's office tomorrow.
[Update at 2:49 p.m. Tuesday]: Stating that "there was no evidence the incident was the result of a hate crime," the L.A. County District Attorney's office today charged Meeks with suspicion of DUI.
The office states that he was charged with ...
... one count of driving under the influence causing injury and one count of driving with .08 percent blood alcohol causing injury. The complaint includes a special allegation that more than one person was injured.
Prosecutors said they planned to request $160,000 bail. Meeks was due in court this afternoon.
If he's successfully prosecuted, Meeks could face five years behind bars, according to the D.A.'s office.
[With reporting from City News Service / @dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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