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topicnews · October 25, 2024

New details released about the shooting of a man with a machete by a deputy in TO

New details released about the shooting of a man with a machete by a deputy in TO

The shooting of a man with a machete by an officer Thursday morning at a Thousand Oaks mall followed a series of previous incidents involving the suspect, authorities said Friday.

The 50-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, whose name was not released as of Friday afternoon, remained hospitalized in critical condition, Ventura County sheriff’s officials said.

The man was shot while allegedly threatening workers at a bakery at the Ventu Park Shopping Center in the 500 block of Ventu Park Road. The center, surrounded by a Ralphs grocery store, is at the southwest intersection of Ventu Park and Hillcrest Drive.

Officers had responded to calls shortly after 6:20 a.m. about several incidents at the center, including a suspect threatening people with a machete. Authorities initially used a Taser on the man, but he then ran into the bakery before being shot. The Sheriff’s Office is charged with providing police services in Thousand Oaks.

Authorities released new details about the case on Friday.

Before the incident at Ralphs Center, the suspect had reportedly used the machete to break a window at the nearby Palm Garden Hotel.

He then went to the 76 gas station and attacked a man with a machete during a carjacking, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim suffered a minor injury.

The suspect exited the stolen vehicle and confronted another man in his parked car in the parking lot outside Ralphs, destroying the victim’s car with the weapon, Friday’s update said.

When officers arrived, they attempted to arrest the suspect who was holding the machete. An officer deployed the Taser after the man failed to comply, but the suspect was not incapacitated after being shocked with the Taser.

The suspect fled to the Sarai Bakery Panaderia. He was holding the machete as he approached two male employees, ages 32 and 42, in a threatening manner, prompting a deputy to open fire, sheriff’s officials said.

The deputy who shot the suspect has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard practice after significant use of force by a police officer. The incident is being investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office.

Thursday’s incident was the second shooting by a local police department this week. On Monday evening, Oxnard Police Department officers shot and killed a man who reportedly pointed a gun at them after shots were fired earlier in the Via Marina neighborhood. The 34-year-old man was reported to be in stable condition the following day.

Editor Gretchen Wenner contributed to this report.

Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com.

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