By Kyle Jorrey
Sports Editor
What started as an altercation between a few individuals at the Malibu Inn spilled out onto Pacific Coast Highway early last Wednesday as patrons exited the popular Pepperdine night spot.
Authorities were called in to respond to a fight at the Inn at approximately 1:30 a.m, according to Detective Bureau Sgt. Timothy Youngern of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Though no one was arrested and no charges were filed, Youngern did say several people were involved.
One Pepperdine student, who witnessed the event but would only speak on the condition of anonymity, said the fight began as an argument between a student and a local group known as MLO (Malibu Locals Only). Well known to the local community, MLO was recently featured on a report by Fox 11 News because of its alleged involvement in two severe beatings last year. In both reported cases, victims said they were attacked by groups of between five and 10 individuals, who outnumbered them before delivering a brutal beating.
This apparently was the case last Wednesday, according to the Graphic’s source.
“There was like 10 of them and only two or three Pepperdine students,” the source said. “The students got beaten to the ground … they were beaten really bad.”
Pepperdine junior basketball player Terrance Johnson was in attendance that night at the Inn. He said as he exited the establishment he immediately saw the fighting.
“People were out in the middle of PCH just going at it,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t see who was who, but it seemed as if a group of people were targeting one person… the police showed up within a matter of minutes.”
Senior Jovita McLeod, who was also there the night of the incident, remembered the frenzy that occurred outside the restaurant/bar.
“I heard people yelling and screaming, and I saw people running and hitting each other,” McLeod said. “They would just hit and then run, hit and then run.”
Despite some wild rumors, McLeod said she never saw any kind of weapon involved in the fight.
“I didn’t see a knife and I definitely didn’t see a gun,” McLeod remembered. “The cops came and just told everyone to leave.”
According to Malibu Inn employee Paul Vaspers, who was working the night of the incident, all of the fighting took place outside of the establishment as it was closing.
“I would say it was a rare, isolated incident,” Vaspers said. “It was basically just a bunch of drunk kids who didn’t get along … but both the management of the Inn and the L.A. County’s Sheriff’s Department are working to make sure that it won’t happen again.”
Pepperdine senior Nick Lopez, who was involved in an altercation with MLO members at the Inn in 2001, said this latest attack was typical of their reputation.
“They just like to fight, and they don’t fight fair,” Lopez said. “I don’t believe this was a Pepperdine-MLO thing, it was just a MLO-thing. It wasn’t targeted at Pepperdine.”
Despite the public nature of the fight, no one involved stepped forward to file a police report. Youngern attributes this fact to alcohol use, not fear of retribution.
“Usually drunks don’t file reports,” Youngern said. “They run and then they turn into drunk drivers.”
Submitted March 25, 2004