Say what you want about light beers, they can still pack a punch—especially when thrown by the case at a fleeing suspect.
That's what happened Sunday when a man fleeing Orange County Sheriff's deputies was stopped in his tracks by a woman with deadly aim.
Authorities say the incident began when Brian Patrick Dowling pulled his blue Toyota Tercel into the Beach Club parking lot in Rancho Santa Margarita around noon Sunday. He got out of the car, holding a gun, and walked inside the Beach Club, where he waved the weapon at people inside, authorities say.
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Several witnesses called the Sheriff's Department to report the incident. Dowling, 26, a telemarketer, fled the scene before deputies arrived, removing his shirt in the process, authorities said. Officers were quickly able to find him driving down Las Flores toward Antonio Parkway. Dowling refused to pull over, according to the deputies, and eventually abandoned his vehicle before running toward with deputies in foot pursuit.
While deputies chased Dowling, another deputy discovered he was not the registered owner of the abandoned vehicle. The mother of the vehicle’s registered owner said her son had sold his car on Craigslist.
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Dowling ran toward Ralphs just as a woman walked out of the store with a case of beer. The unidentified woman heaved the case of Coors Light at Dowling, knocking him to the ground, which allowed deputies to handcuff him and take him into custody.
According to Ian Reade, a witness, the mysterious woman walked away after tossing her beer at Dowling.
"A guy standing near me asked the woman if she knocked him over, and she nodded, before getting in her car and leaving," Reade said.
Dowling is being held at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana on $100,000 bail. He will be arraigned on July 27.
According to court records, Dowling faces 12 counts—including seven felonies—with sentencing enhancements that include: Assault with a firearm, evading a peace officer, brandishing a weapon in a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, receiving stolen property, under the influence of a controlled substance, and driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
