LOS ANGELES, CA – A 39-year-old man died after an altercation with a security guard outside a bar in Orange, where police said the man had earlier been involved in a disturbance with other patrons and had been escorted from the establishment.
Officers with the Orange Police Department were called to the parking lot of Bikini in a Bottle 2, at 1535 W. Chapman Avenue, at about 11 p.m. Saturday, September 12, after receiving a report of an unconscious man.
When officers arrived, they found the man suffering from head injuries and unresponsive. Paramedics attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to information released by police.
Police describe sequence leading to confrontation
The preliminary investigation indicates that the man had been involved in a disturbance with other patrons inside the bar.
Security personnel asked him to leave and eventually escorted him outside, police said. Investigators later determined that the man returned to the establishment and attempted to go back inside.
That led to an altercation with a security guard.
According to police, the guard struck the man once in the head, causing him to fall. Investigators are continuing to examine the sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding the injuries.
The description released by police does not establish what happened during the confrontation immediately before the strike or whether the security guard believed force was necessary. Those circumstances remain part of the investigation.
Security guard remained at scene
The security guard remained at the location after the incident and cooperated with investigators, according to police.
No arrest had been announced in the information available for this report. The guard’s identity also had not been publicly released.
Police have not announced whether prosecutors are considering criminal charges, and the investigation remains active.
The man’s identity had not yet been publicly released while authorities worked through the process of notifying his relatives.
Investigation examines circumstances of death
The incident is being investigated by the Orange Police Department, with detectives working to establish the events before, during and after the confrontation.
That includes the earlier disturbance inside the bar, the man’s removal from the establishment, his return and attempted reentry, and the physical confrontation with the security guard.
Investigators may also examine available surveillance footage, witness accounts and other evidence from the bar and its parking lot as they reconstruct the incident.
At this point, police have publicly described the case as an ongoing investigation rather than announcing a final determination about the circumstances that led to the man’s death.
What is known about the incident
Based on the information released by authorities, several details have been established:
- Officers were called to the bar’s parking lot at about 11 p.m. Saturday.
- The victim was 39 years old and suffered fatal head injuries.
- Police said he had earlier been involved in a disturbance with patrons inside the bar.
- Security personnel escorted him outside.
- He later returned and attempted to reenter.
- An altercation followed between the man and a security guard.
- Police said the guard struck him once in the head, causing him to fall.
- The guard remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
- No arrest had been announced as of the latest information available.
These details come from the preliminary investigation and could change as detectives gather additional evidence.
California law and private security
Private security personnel in California are regulated through the state’s Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which oversees licensing and training requirements for security guards.
The state’s regulatory framework includes training related to the use of force and the authority of private security personnel. The specific circumstances of this Orange investigation, however, have not resulted in a public finding about whether the guard’s actions were lawful.
Any determination about potential criminal liability would depend on the evidence gathered by investigators and, if charges are filed, the subsequent legal process.
Investigation remains ongoing
The Orange Police Department is asking anyone with information that could assist investigators to contact the department at 714-744-7444.
The investigation remains ongoing. Police have not announced an arrest or publicly identified the deceased man or the security guard.
