New details released on deputy-involved shooting in Newbury Park » News Talk 1590 KVTA

Friday, October 25, 2024

Updated – The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has released new details about the series of events leading up to and including the shooting of a machete-wielding suspect Thursday morning in the Newbury Park neighborhood of Thousand Oaks.

They say the investigation revealed that before officers arrived at the mall in the 500 block of North Ventu Park Road around 6:22 a.m., the suspect, a 50-year-old man from Thousand Oaks, used the machete to break a window in the nearby Palm Garden Hotel.

According to investigators, the suspect then went to the 76 gas station where he attacked a 42-year-old Thousand Oaks man with the machete and carjacked his vehicle.

The victim suffered a minor injury.

They say the suspect then walked away from the stolen vehicle and confronted a 32-year-old Thousand Oaks man who was in his vehicle, which was parked in the parking lot of the Ventu Park Mall.

The suspect used the machete to destroy the victim’s vehicle, but the victim was not injured.

By then, officers had already arrived and attempted to arrest the suspect, who was still holding the machete, but they said he did not comply.

An officer used a Taser, but it was ineffective and the suspect fled on foot.

Officers gave chase as they headed north through the mall, past Ralph’s Market, to the Hillcrest Drive side of the center and to Panadaria Bakery.

According to investigators, that’s when the suspect, still holding the machete, began walking toward the employees in what they described as threatening, leading to the deputy-involved shooting.

Officers then rendered aid to the suspect until paramedics arrived and he was taken to the nearby trauma center, where he underwent surgery and was ultimately in critical condition.

No deputies were injured in the incident.

The deputy who shot the suspect is on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such incidents.

Meanwhile, the incident is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division in conjunction with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, and there is a separate investigation by the Sheriff’s Office to determine whether the use of deadly force was within department policy.

Here too, these investigations are part of standard procedure for such incidents.

In addition, state law requires a critical incident report to be released within 45 days or sooner, which includes videos from deputies’ body-worn cameras, as well as any other videos, witness statements and any other information relevant to the incident.