HUNTINGTON BEACH – Without warning a gunman rushed Wednesday morning into the Huntington Beach City Council Chambers, pointed a pistol at more than 100 people seated inside and barked out a threat.

“Everyone is going to die,” the assailant snarled.

But the crowd wasn’t frightened. A few even smiled.

Then they began pelting the shooter with weapons at the ready, including water bottles, pens, shoes and an electrical outlet cord.

Suddenly, three burly men rushed from the audience, tackled the gunman, pinned him to the floor and quickly took his weapon away.

The self-defense reenactment by Huntington Beach police for more than 400 city workers Tuesday and Wednesday provided a twist to the “run, hide and fight” training making the rounds in workplaces across Orange County following the San Bernardino mass shooting.

The large turnout for the 90-minute sessions demonstrate that city workers want to take precautions against workplace violence, said Sgt. David Dereszynski, training unit supervisor for the Huntington Beach Police Department.

“People definitely see the need (for training),” he said. “They want to protect themselves and their fellow workers.”

The sessions, which featured several instructional videos and basic training in fashioning a tourniquet out of clothing items, seemed to make some city workers more comfortable in their ability to handle a mass shooting.

“It was very informative,” Dennis Thompson, an employee with the beach maintenance department, said. “I got a lot out of it.”

It’s unfortunate that such training is needed, but being prepared for workplace violence is a new reality, Thompson added.

“It’s a change of the times,” he said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@ocregister Twitter: @thechalkoutline