Police ramp up patrols after shooting at Guatemala Grill

Early Sunday morning, 22-year-old Brian Arellano Vital of Desert Hot Springs was arrested following a shooting at Guatemala Grill in Cathedral City.

According to the Cathedral City Police Department, Arellano got into a physical fight with a security guard and took the guard’s gun. Arellano then allegedly threatened to shoot the guard as he was calling 911. While this was happening, a second dispute started outside between other individuals. Arellano got involved in this dispute, allegedly pistol-whipping one woman and shooting another woman in the upper torso. Arellano fled the scene in a vehicle and was arrested a short time later at an AM/PM gas station at Palm Rd. and Paul Rd.

An address sheet provided by CCPD shows officers have responded to more than 50 calls for help over the last two years. Commander Julio Luna commander said officers regularly patrol bars in the city and calls to Guatemala Grill are no more frequent than any other similar establishment.

Luna said the restaurant and nightclub wasn’t necessarily on the department’s radar until now, resulting in additional officers patrolling the area near Guatemala Grill.

The weekend shooting happened two months after Zelda’s Nightclub was shut down for continuous violence in Palm Springs. That shooting happened at around the same time as a shooting at Toucans Nightclub in Palm Springs that sent a man to the hospital. The man responsible for the shooting at Toucan’s is still on the run.

News Channel 3’s Lauren Coronado spoke with Carlos Armando Lechuga, the owner of Henry’s Bar and Grill. Henry’s was formerly known as ‘The Block’, which closed following several shootings in the parking lot.

“We had to work hard to fix it up,” Lechuga said.

Lechuga added that he does everything in his power to prevent violent crimes by maintaining a strong relationship with CCPD.