Photo: Ryan Rietkerk
Ventura County – According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Sgt. Kevin Lynch, on the evening of April 22nd deputies attached to the Moorpark Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to a residential call for service reporting “an assault with a deadly weapon” that took place at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Upon arrival, deputies were informed that 37-year-old Ryan Rietkerk had allegedly attacked his roommate “with a large blunt object” which inflicted “moderate to severe injury” upon the victim.
The immediately ensuing investigation indicated that Rietkerk had also threatened his 70-year-old father with an edged weapon. When contact with Rietkerk was attempted, deputies discovered that he had sequestered himself in an upstairs bedroom with the door locked and barricaded shut.
Deputies attempted to communicate with Rietkerk in an effort to extract him from the bedroom. That attempt failed. At that point, members of the Sheriff’s Special Services Bureau were summoned to the scene.
When even their attempts to verbally convince Rietkerk to come out to meet with them, the detectives then deployed specific tools and tactics to breach the locked doorway.
Once forced entry was accomplished, Rietkerk refused to comply with verbal commands. Detectives then “utilized a less-than-lethal weapon” which was ineffective in gaining Rietkerk’s compliance. At that point, a sheriff’s K9 unit was deployed. Moments later, Rietkerk was in handcuffs and on his way to a local hospital for treatment of “minor injuries” suffered in his confrontation with the K9 deputy.
Rietkerk was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, elder abuse, and making criminal threats. He remains in custody with his bail set at $500,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking.
