An Oak Park man pleaded not guilty to six felonies and five misdemeanors in Ventura County Superior Court on July 9, for an incident two days earlier in which he allegedly held two men at gunpoint.
The 19-year-old was charged with two felony counts of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, felony kidnapping and felony attempted second-degree robbery, court records show.
On July 7, deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the 5800 block Hickory Drive around 1:55 p.m. after receiving a report of a man brandishing a gun, according to a sheriff’s office news release. While the deputies were driving over, the sheriff’s dispatch also heard what sounded like a gunshot while on the phone with the reporting party.
The sheriff’s office provides police services to unincorporated areas of Ventura County.
Sheriff’s investigators learned that two men, 47 and 48, were doing concrete work in front of the 19-year-old’s house when they had a brief interaction with him, the sheriff’s office said.
The two men walked to their vehicle and got inside it before being approached again by the teenager, sheriff’s officials said. The teen then pulled out a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the men.
The 19-year-old then allegedly ordered one man out of the vehicle and demanded the keys, officials said. He searched one of the men for the keys but could not find them, so he returned to his home.
Deputies established a perimeter around the teen’s residence, issued a shelter-in-place warning to residents nearby and made several attempts to contact the man, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office sent over their SWAT team because the man was armed, sheriff’s officials said. Negotiators were also sent to speak with the suspect, but were also unsuccessful.
The Oak Park man eventually tried to flee by breaking a window in his home and going through it, sheriff’s officials said. He was arrested shortly after without further incident, officials said.
Detectives conducted a warranted search of the man’s home and found two rounds that had been fired inside, but had not penetrated the exterior, the sheriff’s office said.
The man was booked into Ventura County jail with bail set at $300,000, jail records show. He is scheduled to return to court on July 20.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Armed man involved in standoff with SWAT in Oak Park pleads not guilty
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
