Ventura Police Arrest A Suspect For What Amounted To A One-Man Violent Crime Spree

Saturday November 23, 2024

(File photo courtesy VPD)

     Ventura police say they’ve arrested a suspect in connection with what amounted to a one-man violent crime spree in downtown Ventura Saturday morning.

     They say that during the course of a half hour starting shortly after 7 AM a man on a bicycle stabbed a man in the back in the 100 block of Ash Street, stabbed another man in the neck in the 200 block of Chestnut Street, struck a third victim with a metal pipe and robbed that person in the area of Oak and Santa Clara Streets, and then robbed a fourth victim at knifepoint of his keys in the 100 block of Palm Street.

     Officers finally caught up to the suspect trying to start another fifth person's car with those stolen house keys.

     They finally took 22-year-old Efrain Troncoso into custody at gunpoint.

     Ventura police say that Troncoso is originally from Moorpark and has a history of criminal activity both there and in Ventura.

     After spending time in the Ventura County Jail for his criminal activity in Moorpark, police say Troncoso stayed in Ventura living on the streets as a vagrant and committing other crimes such as a November 7th arson at a pet hospital parking lot on Ralston Street in Ventura, and resisting arrest causing injury to the officer in that incident.

     In that latest crime the judge on November 12th released Troncoso from jail on his own recognizance pending trial.

     Now he’s back in jail but this time booked on three counts of attempted murder, first degree robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted grand theft auto.

     Troncoso is being held on more than $1 million bail and is due in court Tuesday to face these latest charges, the same day he was supposed to be in court for a pretrial conference on the pet clinic arson and resisting arrest injury to the officer in that case.