Avoid Lingering Outside Bars After Dark

Drive-by attacks work because the victim is stationary, road-visible, and unable to take evasive action before the vehicle is gone. Hollis Anthony Koylass, 35, was shot dead outside The Chill Bar and Lounge in San Fernando shortly before midnight on May 23, 2026, when gunmen opened fire from a passing vehicle as he stood outside the premises. People gathering at the entrance or perimeter of a late-night bar — to smoke, wait for transport, or socialise between the interior and the street — present exactly the kind of fixed, predictable target that a drive-by exploits. Unlike a robbery, there is no visible approach that signals danger: the vehicle is moving and the attack is over in seconds. Minimising how long you spend in the road-facing area outside any late-night venue is the single most effective action you can take.

Steps to follow:

• Move inside or to your vehicle promptly; limit the time you spend standing at a bar’s entrance or street-facing perimeter at night.
• If you must wait outside, position yourself close to a wall or solid structure that provides physical separation from the road rather than standing exposed at the edge of the property.
• Monitor slowly moving or loitering vehicles in the street; if a vehicle makes more than one pass outside the venue, go inside and alert staff.
• At the sound of gunfire from a passing vehicle, immediately drop flat or take cover behind a solid structure — do not remain standing while trying to locate the source.
• Arrange your transport before leaving so your wait time on the street is as short as possible, and leave in a group where you can.
• Call 999 immediately after any incident; do not move the injured unless there is an ongoing threat, and secure the area to help preserve evidence.