Police arrest van driver after Sunday club fight
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By the Lincoln Journal Star
Police arrested a 26-year-old Lincoln man who they believe tried to run over a security guard after a fight broke out outside a south Lincoln club.
Police say a van driven by Benito Puga, 1944 S.W. 27th St., Apt. 332, hit the 33-year-old guard, an off-duty Johnson County sheriff’s deputy, but only grazed him.
Officer Katie Flood said the guard shot at the van, hitting the windshield and leaving a bullet lodged in the door. The van sped away. No one inside was injured.
Flood said the guard told police he thought the van’s driver was trying to run him over following an after-hours fight at Club Reyes, 2608 Park Blvd.
The brawl broke out between two groups in the club’s parking lot shortly after 1 a.m., police said. The club’s two security guards, both off-duty Johnson County deputies, intervened.
Flood said the men working as security guards sprayed OC spray, pepper spray, in an attempt to quell the crowd.
Police found the van — which had Texas plates — abandoned at an apartment complex at 1914 S.W. 27th St. Flood said they believe the same van hit two parked cars in the lot at 2610 W. South St.
She said police did a canvas of the complex and found the driver. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree assault on a peace officer and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony.
Police also ticketed Rogelio Rios on suspicion of disturbing the peace after the club’s owner identified him as the one who allegedly instigated the fight.
Flood said police did not ticket the security guard for discharging a firearm within the city.
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