Monday, August 24, 2009

Police arrest Louis Rodriguez in murder of bouncer Eric 'Taz' Pagan outside club Forbidden City

From the Daily News by Henrick Karoliszyn and Alison Gendar:

An ex-con from East Harlem was busted Monday for gunning down a bouncer and wounding two other men outside a popular East Village club, police said.

Louis Rodriguez, 29, shot and killed Eric (Taz) Pagan outsideForbidden City, a hip Asian-themed bar on Avenue A after a fight early Sunday, cops said.

Police said the quarrel started when Rodriguez rolled up on the club in a white van and accidentally struck bar patron Salvador Moran, 31, as he stood outside with Pagan and Robert Calbo, 30.

Moran and Rodriguez started arguing until Rodriguez ended the back-and-forth with gunfire, hitting Moran in the neck.

Calbo was shot in the hand trying to push the gun away, police sources said.

That's when Pagan jumped in and tried break up the fight.

He was fatally shot in the face, cops said.

Pagan, a single father, worked at the bar as a bouncer, but was off-duty the night of the shooting.

He died moments later at Bellevue Hospital.

Moran and Calbo are hospitalized in stable condition.

Rodriguez, who served nearly five years in state prison on a Bronx assault charge, was fingered as the gunman by witnesses.

Security surveillance video also captured him, police sources said.

Rodriguez was awaiting arraignment last night on murder, assault and weapons charges, police said.

agendar@nydailynews.com

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