Two California men accused of opening fire with an AK-47 on a strip club they had been kicked out of for refusing to wear masks were charged Monday with attempted murder, authorities said.
Edgar Nava-Ayala, 34, and Daniel Juvenal Ocamponava, 22, both of Anaheim, pled not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and other crimes in the Halloween night shooting, which left three people injured, court records show.
They face maximum sentences of life in prison, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
A third man, Juan Acosta Soto, was also charged with multiple counts of assault with a machine gun. He faces a maximum of 17 years in prison and pled not guilty, the records show.
The prosecutor’s office said the men were escorted from the Sahara Theater in Anaheim, south of Los Angeles, on Oct. 31 after they rebuffed demands to wear masks.
The group allegedly left, then returned to the club and opened fire with an AK-47, according to prosecutors. Nava-Ayala allegedly struck the club at least 15 times, leaving two workers and a customer injured, the release said.
The men, who were arrested Dec. 17, were being held on $5 million bail each.
Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night.
