Two incidents that occurred on Sunday in the early morning hours in the vicinity of Planet Malibu, an Elmont nightclub located on Hempstead Turnpike, resulted in five arrests made by Nassau County Police. In one of the incidents, three Brooklyn men were arrested for possession of a loaded gun and the other resulted in two police officers being struck by a vehicle and taken to Mercy Hospital, where they were treated and released.

"The incidents stemmed from an apparent fight that began inside Planet Malibu, spread outside to the parking lot and there were disturbances breaking out in the parking lot because of this and as a result, there was the gun issue and there was the officers getting injured," said Detective John Cerny of the Nassau Police Department Fifth Squad.

According to police, at 2:40 a.m., three Brooklyn men attempted to enter Planet Malibu, where a bouncer at the door frisked them. The bouncer felt a gun on the first male and attempted to take it. However, the male passed the gun on to another man who passed it over to the third subject.

Police were flagged down by a bouncer and a responding officer observed one of the subjects throw away a set of keys. The keys were then found and used to open a U-Haul truck, where a fully loaded Israeli-made, Desert Eagle 9 mm gun was found in the cab. The gun had been reported stolen from the 105 Precinct in Queens.

Three men - Bruce Sandlin, 22, James Shaw, 28, and Shavon Casey, 22, were all arrested and charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm. Sandlin is also charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

Approximately an hour and a half later, at 4:05 a.m., a fight broke out inside Planet Malibu, involving two females, according to police. The altercation then made its way outside into the parking lot at the rear of the club.

Fifth Precinct police officers Sal Maeillo and Sal Scalone responded to the scene and were attempting to break up the fight when a 1997 Nissan, operated by 23-year-old Gary Liverpool of Rosedale, Queens, drove toward the officers three times, striking them both.

Liverpool and his passenger, 27-year-old Torrance Owens of Jamaica Queens, were charged with reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and two counts of 2nd degree assault.

"They were attempting to leave the parking lot," said Cerny. "What their state of mind was or what they had in mind, I don't really know. They intentionally struck the officers. That was the basis for them being charged."

The officers were taken to Mercy Hospital, where they were treated and released. Officer Scalone received injuries to both his knees and a sprained back. Officer Maeillo sustained an injury to his right knee.

Liverpool's and Owen's attorney Marvin Hirsch disagreed that his clients were intentionally trying to hit the police officers. "Why in the world would anyone want to intentionally run down a police officer? They weren't running from the scene of a crime. They did nothing wrong," Hirsch said. "What they wanted to do was get away from a place that was in turmoil so they wouldn't get hurt. There was bedlam."

One thing is for certain. Planet Malibu has been the site of other incidents in which there was criminal activity.