Photo: Stock Image
Just before the midnight hour on the evening of December 28 th , an unsuspected 20- year-old young man was walking along a downtown City of Fillmore street when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. Caught off guard, the assault victim was quickly relieved of his personal property.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Jarrod Foote, the assailant promptly “fled on foot to an awaiting charcoal gray minivan,” driven by an apparent accomplice. Multiple witness reports collected by responding Fillmore Patrol deputies indicated that the van then peeled away at a high rate of speed, escaping into the dark of night “in an unknown direction of travel.”
With those witness reports detailing both a description of the getaway vehicle and at least one of the suspects, the Fillmore Investigations Bureau and the West County Enforcement Unit went to work to identify the suspects. By the following morning, their investigation led to the identification of 20-year-old Fillmore resident Brian Valencia as the perpetrator of the assault and robbery.
On the evening of December 29 th , with search warrant in hand, detectives arrived at Valencia’s Fillmore residence. The ensuing search of the premises led to the discovery of “additional evidence linking Valencia to the robbery,” whereupon he was arrested and taken into custody.
Valencia was transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of assault and robbery. He remains in jail on a no-bail hold pending arraignment.
