Club owner testifies he kneeled on patron to stop access to security officer's gun during brawl

SAN ANTONIO

Mariano Rendon Jr., owner and host at the nightclub El Volcan, testified that he put "one knee on his stomach" to stop a man from reaching a security officer—9s holster during an Aug. 20, 2023, altercation at the club.

The testimony came in a Bexar County trial in which surveillance video, witness statements and physical evidence were central to the state—9s case. Rendon told jurors the fight began on the dance floor and escalated into a pile of people he described as "a mountain" before he and staff pulled people away.

Rendon said he saw a weapon in the tangle of bodies and acted to prevent it being grabbed. "His hands were touching the holster," Rendon testified. "I put one knee on his stomach." He told the jury his priority was to avoid "a massacre in my club." He said the security officer involved was Anthony Cochran.

Why this matters: the owner—9s account bears directly on criminal charges arising from the fight, the degree of force used and whether any injuries were intentional. The parties presented competing narratives about who was attacking whom, which portions of the incident video are complete, and what evidence was preserved and shared with police.

Key evidence and missing materials

Rendon and counsel walked the jury through surveillance and cellphone video that defense counsel said showed only the end of the encounter. Rendon told jurors the cellphone clip passed among patrons did not capture earlier moments when he said he intervened. "It definitely does not show me running up, doing what I did," Rendon said of the clip, and described the club—9s full surveillance footage as hazy on the dance floor because of strobe lighting and the camera—9s position.

He described efforts to account for missing security equipment after the fight. Rendon said a radio and a baton assigned to staff were missing after the melee and that the missing radio was tracked via GPS to a tire shop on I-10 and later to the Nixon, Texas, area. He said he and others visited the Nixon location but that police were responsible for further investigation.

Rendon also testified about the club—9s safety procedures and staffing: the club covers roughly 10,000 square feet, he estimated capacity in the upper 800s, and he said licensing and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission set minimum security requirements for establishments of that size. Rendon said the club typically tried to staff more security than the minimum; he estimated having eight to 13 security officers on busy Saturday nights despite a regulatory matrix that might require fewer.

On video and recordings

The owner testified that the only interior dance-floor video produced to police was recorded on a phone from a monitor because staff feared losing original footage when trying to download it from the club—9s system. He said the copied footage was hazy and did not show the entire sequence. Rendon acknowledged he did not review all cameras or preserve every recording and said he had expected detectives to follow up to locate other footage. Defense counsel admitted multiple club stills and photos into evidence without objection.

Other witnesses and injuries

Rendon described patrons who had been regulars at El Volcan, naming Pablo Rodriguez and Tina Jimenez as frequent attendees. He testified that in the pile of people he observed Rodriguez and, underneath him, a security officer identified as Anthony Cochran. Rendon said a woman who had been participating in the fight later scratched his neck; he introduced post-incident photos he said showed the scratches and bruises he sustained and asked the jury to consider his account of the chaos amid dim lighting and loud music.

Court procedure and next steps

The defense rested after Rendon—9s testimony. During the hearing, the court admitted several defense exhibits including photographs and the phone-recorded video; the jury was excused and instructed not to discuss the case over the weekend. Further proceedings, including closing arguments, were scheduled by the court.

Ending

Rendon—9s testimony emphasized his view that the situation at El Volcan was an immediate threat to patrons and staff and that his physical intervention was intended to stop access to a holstered weapon. Jurors will weigh his account against other evidence and witness testimony presented during the trial.