Man Arrested After Shooting into Hillcrest Restaurant

Witnesses call it amazing that no one was hit by gunfire when a man opened fire at a restaurant in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood.A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of opening fire on a Hillcrest restaurant with a high-powered rifle, but no one was struck by the gunfire, police said. Dispatchers received several calls shortly before 7:40 p.m. Tuesday from people reporting that a man was wearing a trench coat and carrying a rifle near University and Fourth avenue, an area lined with restaurants and bars. Police say the gunman walked up to The Asian Bistro and started firing into the restaurant where several customers and employees were inside. However, nobody was hit by gunfire.The gunman then lowered the rifle and walked away, a police spokesman said. he rounds shattered windows at the restaurant and some people insidereported being hit by shattered glass, but any wounds were superficial, Lt. Andra Brown said. Investigators at the shooting scene found at least 19 ``assault rifle-caliber'' shell casings, Brown said. Officers responded to the scene and began searching the area for the suspect with the help of a police helicopter. A witness told officers he saw a man changing his clothes in the area and the witness was able to provide officers with a new clothing description.Before the suspect was arrested, officers found clothing matching those worn by the suspect discarded in an alley, Officers located the 29-year-old man, whose name was not immediately available, and arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder around 9 p.m. A short time later, police found an AR-15 rifle and magazines for the weapon nearby.Police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the shooting. Detectives from the San Diego Police Department's Western Division were investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call San Diego police at (619) 531-2000 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.(Photo credit 10News)