Emiliano Castillo
VENTURA COUNTY — If only Santa Paula residents 21-year-old Emiliano Castillo and 19-year-old Xavier Servin had some passing familiarity with William Shakespeare’s ruminations in Twelfth Night, wherein he wrote the timeless admonition “Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds,” those two young men might still be pursuing romantic fulfillment rather than sitting in the Ventura County Jail following their March 21st arrests.
It all began just after noon on March 20th when Santa Paula Police Department patrol officers responded to a “shots fired” call on East Main Street where, according to SPPD spokesman Det. Randy Haumann, they located Castillo “hiding behind some houses in the area” in close proximity to a loaded 9mm pistol.
Xavier Servin
While officers were investigating that scene, “a grey sedan” was observed speeding away from the area. A brief vehicle pursuit ensued as the driver failed to yield, ultimately coming to a halt four blocks away.
Contact was promptly made with the driver, Servin, and he was taken into custody, explaining that Castillo had been shooting at him because he had vandalized his ex-girlfriend’s car by “breaking the front and rear windshields and a digital display on the dashboard” to the tune of more than $1,000 in damage.
Once he discovered the vandalism perpetrated by Servin, Castillo confronted him “and began shooting at him.” Neither young man was injured in the altercation.
Both were transported to Ventura County Jail, where Castillo was booked on charges of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and destruction of evidence, with his bail set at $510,000. For his part, Servin was booked on a charge of felony vandalism and felony evading a police officer, with his bail set at $55,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail
