(This story has been updated to reflect the court’s decision to dismiss.)
A 19-year-old Ventura man was arrested on suspicion of several violent crimes after he threatened to harm police with a knife in Ventura, police said.
Police were first contacted at 10:44 a.m. Tuesday from a residence in the 200 block of Burl Avenue.
Authorities said they made contact with a female victim who reported she was involved in a physical dispute with her boyfriend, identified as a 19-year-old Ventura resident. He has a previous conviction of domestic violence from January, according to police.
Officers arrived and believed the 19-year-old was still inside the residence. Police tried to make contact with him via telephone, but he refused to cooperate and threatened officers, saying he was armed with a knife, authorities said.
Upon further investigation, police said they learned the man had fled prior to their arrival and was on foot in the area. Officers said they found Vargas in the area of Community Park on Kimball Road.
The man brandished his knife toward officers and fled to the area of Highway 126, police said, and the California Highway Patrol stopped traffic while Vargas was on the roadway. Two schools in the area, Mound Elementary School and Balboa Middle School, were put on lockdown for 45 minutes as a precautionary measure, according to police.
The 19-year-old raised the knife above his head and threatened to harm officers if they did not shoot him, authorities said. Officers said they deployed a taser to disarm the man after he refused to comply with them, but he continued advancing. A Ventura police K-9 was deployed and allowed officers to detain the man without further incident, authorities said.
The man was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries suffered during the altercation, police said. After he was medically cleared, he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, felony domestic violence, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony resisting arrest, according to authorities, and booked into county jail.
The man pleaded guilty to his charges in May 2021 and was sentenced to four years in prison. He returned to court Jan. 29, 2025, to request dismissal of the charges, which a Ventura County Superior Court judge granted, according to court records.
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Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura domestic violence suspect puts schools on lockdown
Reporting by Jeremy Childs, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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