Dean Aguilar
VENTURA COUNTY — The adage be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it must not have entered the mind of 41-year-old Moorpark resident Dean Aguilar in the pre-dawn morning hours of September 7th.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Cpt. John Reilly, it was just after 5:30 a.m. when a deputy assigned to Moorpark Patrol came upon “an occupied vehicle” parked on the side of an unincorporated area roadway.
Vanessa Gonzalez
As the deputy made contact with 39-year-old Vanessa Gonzalez sitting behind the wheel of her car, she told him that her passenger “was having a medical emergency,” whereupon the deputy walked around the car and made contact with Aguilar, whom he recognized on sight as wanted on a felony vandalism arrest warrant.
At that point, the deputy made a radio call for an additional patrol unit to come to the scene, whereupon Aguilar announced that he was in possession of a gun and had the present intent to shoot the cop on the spot.
Not doubting Aguilar’s sincerity for a moment, the deputy dove for cover “and waited for additional resources to arrive.” While the deputy was ducking for cover, Gonzalez drove off, only to get “stuck on a dirt road” just a mile away.
As additional patrol units rolled up and they encountered the stranded vehicle, Aguilar alighted from Gonzalez’ car with a pistol in his hand and told the deputies “Shoot me,” which may well have happened had not Gonzalez pulled him back inside the car.
Eventually, deputies restrained Aguilar by deployment of pepper spray and a VCSD K-9 unit. By the time the cops had handcuffs on Aguilar, he was suffering from “minor dog bite wounds” requiring medical treatment before he was transported to Ventura County Jail for booking on charges of criminal threats, brandishing a replica firearm, assault on a police dog, resisting arrest, and on a pending felony arrest warrant.
His bail was set at $60,000, while Gonzalez was booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia, with her bail set at $5,000.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
