A number of people were seriously wounded at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks when an armed delinquent started shooting on November 8 about forty minutes before midnight. The culprit was allegedly a 20 something youngster of Middle Eastern origin who was dressed in black and sporting a beard.
A number of university students were present, taking advantage of the College Country Nights that are scheduled at the Borderline Bar & Grill every Wednesday from 9 pm to 2 am. There were approximately 200 customers at the establishment when the suspect made use of smoke grenades. As onlookers watched from afar off, police cars rushed to the scene, an official helicopter hovered above, cops blocked all entries and exits, including roads, and within minutes, Borderline Bar & Grill had been cordoned off.
Cops were keeping civilians passing through the area at a safe distance from the scene while other officers were safely guiding people located in and around Borderline Bar & Grill out of danger. Many even went running to a petrol bunk in the vicinity for first aid as soon as shooting began.
Rescue operations were being deployed from the parking area of a shopping mall located a short distance from Borderline Bar & Grill. The only police official who suffered injuries was receiving treatment shortly before midnight.
Meanwhile, another shootout erupted shortly before midnight at The Tipsy Goat, again in Thousand Oaks. Although it is still early days, official investigations are underway to identify a connection between the two incidents.
Some preventive measures to avoid active shooter incidents
While this list is not exhaustive, here are some of the steps one can take proactively to avoid shooter incidents.
Choose places with adequate security measures – It might be a good idea to prefer frequenting places where visitors are frisked for guns, explosives and similar items before entering. While this might seem like a hassle, especially while attending a social call on a night out, extensive entry and exit protocols provide one more layer of safety while putting an additional hurdle for potential shooters to get past. Many establishments even employ armed guards as a precautionary measure. Others even conduct background checks discreetly to rule out the possibility of potentially violent intruders.
Keep your eyes open for anything unusual – We live in a world that is filled with patterns that influence even our behavior and habits. So it only makes sense to be at least mildly alarmed at anything even slightly out of the ordinary.
Install an active shooter warning app – A number of mobile apps are available in the market. Salient features include:
- A common platform for all users with the necessary credentials such that a “Red Alert” can be raised as soon as something untowardly happens
- Instant notification to all officials in the vicinity
- Intruder Mapping
- Regular updates and upgrades
- Push Message Features
Give preference to CPTED enabled localities – Building areas based on CPTED concepts increases reciprocity between individuals while giving them as well as emergency officials more time to leverage rescue measures.
CCTV Surveillance – Check if the establishment you are visiting has a good CCTV surveillance system installed.