by Cindy Summers

Police reports are provided to us by the Ventura Police Department and are not the opinions of the Ventura Breeze. All suspects mentioned are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Arrests

On July 1, at approximately 2pm, patrol officers responded to a call for service regarding a fight involving three males involving possible baseball bats.  When officers arrived on scene they found the victim suffering from non-life threatening injuries he sustained after being struck multiple times by a pipe and metal chair.  The suspects had fled the scene in their vehicle prior to our arrival, however other responding officers located them on Telephone Road near Main Street.

The investigation revealed the suspects, 43 year old Ventura resident Brian Smith and 21 year old Ventura resident Brian Smith, who are father and son, were involved in a physical fight with each other when the victim, who was not known by the suspects, attempted to intervene.  One suspect picked up a metal pipe and began striking the victim multiple times and the other suspect then used a metal chair and struck the victim.  At the conclusion of the investigation, both suspects were booked into Ventura County Jail on the charge of assault with a deadly weapon.  The victim was treated and released by Ventura Fire and AMR for his injuries.

Bank ATM Skimmer Investigation

On July 8, from approximately 8:40am – 9:15am, VPD patrol officers responded to two separate incidents involving “skimming” devices located attached to ATMs at the Rabobank on E Main St and the Montecito Bank & Trust on Telephone Rd.

These devices can be used to monitor and record personal information such as account numbers and PIN numbers that the suspects will retrieve at a later date. Information obtained is then used to commit identity theft through unlawful access of bank accounts at ATMs.

The two devices were attached by adhesive tape to the outside of the card insert slot. They were removed and will be examined by detectives for any stored information.

The Ventura Police Department would like to remind citizens to report any suspicious persons loitering near or tampering with any ATMs, any suspicious devices attached to an ATM, and to carefully check bank statements for any unusual charges or activity.

It is not known if these two crimes are related and there are no suspect descriptions available at this time.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information related to this crime is urged to call the Ventura Police Department Street Crimes Unit at 339-4325, or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. If your information leads to an arrest, you could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Felony Resisting Arrest

On July 9, at 3:30am, two Ventura Police patrol officers responded to a report of a male subject causing a disturbance within the apartment complex located at 6073 Woodland Street.

Officers arrived on scene and contacted the suspect, 25 year old Oxnard resident Luis Reyes in the center courtyard.   Officers determined Reyes had been arguing with his girlfriend, to the front of her apartment, and was now refusing to leave.   As officers were attempting to communicate with Reyes, he became further agitated and violently attacked one of the officers.  After a brief struggle, the officers were able to take Reyes into custody.

Both officers received minor injuries as a result of the altercation.  Both officers were treated at VCMC and several hours later were cleared to return to work.   Reyes was also taken to VCMC where he was medically cleared and later booked into Ventura County Jail for violently resisting arrest.

Attempted Murder and Felony Resisting Arrest  

On July 9, at approximately 5:15pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received several 911 calls of two males physically fighting near the corner of Marthas Vineyard Ct. and Pierpont Blvd.  While officers were responding it was reported the suspect, later identified as 25 year old Ventura resident Christopher Dolan, got into an awaiting vehicle and fled the scene.  Officers arrived on scene and found the victim, a 23-year-old male, lying unconscious on the sidewalk and suffering from several head injuries.

An officer responding to the call saw the suspect vehicle pull into the Vons shopping center parking lot on Harbor Blvd.  As the vehicle came to a stop, Dolan exited the vehicle and fled on foot.  The officer pursued Dolan on foot, who during the chase turned on the officer and challenged him to fight.  When Dolan began charging towards the officer, the officer deployed a taser device.  This allowed officers to take him into custody without further incident.

During the investigation, officers learned from witnesses that Dolan was heard in a verbal argument with the victim.  Dolan was then seen punching the victim, who fell to the ground.  While on the ground, Dolan repeatedly punched and kicked the victim in the head.

The victim was treated at the scene by Ventura City Fire personnel and transported to VCMC for treatment of his injuries.  He is currently in critical condition.  After being medically cleared at VCMC, Dolan was booked into the Ventura County Jail for attempted murder and felony resisting arrest.

Stabbing

On July 10, at approximately 10pm, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a 911 call of a stabbing victim of the address listed above.  Officers, along with Ventura City Fire and AMR personnel, responded to the call and found the victim, later identified as Shianna Larios, suffering from a single non-life threatening stab wound in the abdomen.  She was immediately transported to VCMC for treatment of his injuries.  The suspect, 21 year old Faith Komar, was detained at the scene.

During the investigation, officers learned that prior to the stabbing, Larios and Komar got into a verbal altercation over parking in front of Larios’s residence.  The argument became physical and during the fight Larios was stabbed by Komar.

Komar was booked at the Ventura County Jail for 245(a)(1) PC Assault with a deadly weapon.  Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Ventura Police Department at 339-4488.

Armed Robbery with Arrest

On July 13, at approximately 8:30am, the suspect, 27 year old Ventura resident Shaun Talbutt, entered the business, selected items and concealed them under his jacket.  A store employee confronted him, and the suspect pulled out a pocket knife, brandishing it at the employee, and then walked out of the store with the items. Responding patrol officers located the suspect, and he initially ran away from the officer.  After a brief foot pursuit, the suspect stopped and was taken into custody by officers.  At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspect was booked into Ventura County Jail for armed robbery and resisting arrest.  No one was injured during this incident.

Vehicle Pursuit

On July 17, at 1:33pm , the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call from the California Highway Patrol requesting assistance on a vehicle pursuit that entered onto the city streets.  The CHP had initiated the pursuit several minutes earlier near the intersection of Telephone Rd. and Highway 101 off-ramp, when officers attempted to stop the vehicle to investigate a possible DUI driver. The driver, later identified as Dante Payne (30 years, Ventura Resident ) was failing to stop.

Ventura Police officers took over the pursuit from the California Highway Patrol in the area of Telephone Rd. and Ramelli Ave., as Payne continued to evade officers reaching speeds of approximately 60 MPH.  Prior to taking over the pursuit, Payne had driven over a center median, which caused him to lose the right front tire of his Ford pickup.  He continued, driving eastbound on Bristol Rd. to northbound Petit Ave.  Payne drove to the intersection of Petit Ave. and Petit Ci., where he stopped and exited his vehicle.  He was taken into custody without incident.

Officers later learned that Payne discarded a loaded and stolen shotgun out of his vehicle during the pursuit.  The shotgun was found by a citizen near the intersection of Ramelli Ave. and Raccoon Ct.

The California Highway Patrol took custody of Payne.  He was later booked at the Ventura County Jail for felony evading arrest, felon in possession of a loaded and stolen firearm, possession of an altered weapon and a parole violation.