Joe Harper Confident in Del Mar Security After Shooting

A day after a man was shot by a San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputy outside the Del Mar gates when he allegedly brandished a gun, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper said security protocol at the racetrack likely will not change substantially in the future.

With an increased security presence and extra Sheriff's Department deputies on site Sept. 3, Harper said their swift reaction reinforced security standards in place that worked well.

"What it did was kinda strengthen the protocol and things we had in place," Harper said during his meet-ending conference with the media Sept. 3. "I was really proud of our crew, from operations to security. We have these emergency plans in place and we study them and practice them, and make sure, if we have an active shooter, here's what we do.

"We work with local law enforcement—the Sheriff's (Department). Really, despite the scary thing that happened yesterday, everything was pretty much in its place and had a happy outcome."

The Sheriff's Department released a statement earlier Monday that identified the man who was shot and said his condition was "stable." According to the Sheriff's Department statement, Daniel Elizarraras, 22, allegedly became agitated and brandished his weapon when he was told no more tickets were available for the post-races concert featuring Ice Cube.

BALAN: Man Shot by Sheriff's Deputy at Del Mar Identified

"We knew it was going to be the biggest concert we'd ever had. ... So we planned for what happened," Harper said of turning away people who wanted to attend the concert. "We planned for it being to the point where we had to stop selling. That plan was based on timing, really. You have to know when to say 'no.' ... What would I do differently? I don't think I'd do anything differently. The Sheriffs were right there and that was the quickest response. They did a terrific job."

The shooting occurred outside the gates of the track. If there had not been a dispute over concert tickets, Elizarraras could have entered the gates with the firearm without intervention. Unlike other professional sporting venues and concert venues, Del Mar—as well as Southern California racetracks Santa Anita Park and Los Alamitos Race Course—does not use metal detectors to screen people entering the grounds. Harper did not indicate that would change.

"We work basically with law enforcement to come up with what we need to do," he said. "There are not that many metal detectors at sporting events. I've been to a lot of Chargers games and I haven't seen any. I've seen a lot of open bags and that kind of stuff, and we do that."