A 70-year-old man was arrested on July 29 after authorities say he threatened to shoot up the Santa Paula Police Department and kill police officers.
Officers with the Santa Paula Police Department arrested
the Santa Paula resident in the city of Ventura after the department was made aware of the threats he made while visiting Idaho just days before, according to a department news release.
A person who heard the Santa Paula man voice the threats said he mentioned planning to use protective ballistic equipment when he conducted the shooting, said police Chief Don Aguilar.
Aguilar said the man claimed that he would be returning to Ventura County soon and, out of dissatisfaction with a previous case in Ventura, said he would shoot the Santa Paula police station.
The police department was able to track down the Santa Paula man and served search warrants at homes in Ventura and just outside of Santa Paula tied to the man, Aguilar said.
Investigators found evidence linking him to the crime, including a handgun, ammunition, a ballistic helmet and diagrams to manufacture assault weapons, police said.
The man was also prohibited from having firearms as part of a pretrial release agreement from a pending 2025 criminal case in the city of Ventura, the police chief said. In that case, Ventura Police officials arrested the Santa Paula man for several gun-related charges after a search of a property tied to him resulted in more than 130 firearms being seized.
The man was booked into Ventura County jail on suspicion of felonies related to criminal threats; receiving, purchasing or possessing a firearm; and possession of a firearm without a competency certificate, jail records show. His bail was set at $1.02 million.
He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on July 31, records show.
The Santa Paula Police Department has requested that anyone with information reach Detective Mario Escalante at 805-826-2930 or mescalante@spcity.org.
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: Man suspected of threats to shoot up Santa Paula police arrested
