A 28-year-old Canyon Country man is facing two counts of assault with a deadly weapon after a neighborhood dispute over parking escalated.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office filed a pair of charges against Darwin Montoya, who listed his occupation as EMT in the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrest logs.
Just before 10:30 p.m. June 17, the two alleged victims arrived home in the 27000 block of Manzanita Lane, just north of Jakes Way, and observed a blue SUV blocking their garage, according to court documents obtained by The Signal.
The victim asked Montoya to move his vehicle, and after he did, a verbal altercation occurred between the victims and the driver. Afterward, the victims reportedly attempted to walk away to the entrance of their unit.
The victims then heard someone behind them as they approached their residence, according to the report, and claimed a man the witnesses identified as Montoya was standing behind them.
The victims reported that Montoya then pulled a handgun from his waistband and chambered a bullet by pulling the slide backward. He allegedly pointed the firearm at them and let them know “he had plenty of bullets for them,” according to a report from a Sheriff’s Station official.
The victims reportedly jumped out of the line of fire and informed the suspect they took a picture of his license plate and were calling the police.
The victims reported that the suspect, Montoya, entered his SUV and sped off down the street and out of view.
After detectives determined the identity of their suspect, he was later arrested near his Manzanita Lane apartment around 2:27 p.m. June 26, according to departmental custody records available online.
A search of his residence yielded multiple firearms, according to court records, including several handguns, namely a Glock, a Beretta and a Heckler & Koch HK4 pistol. Deputies also reported finding multiple rounds of ammunition that were collected as evidence and booked at the Sheriff’s Station, according to court records.
Montoya was released from custody July 1 on his own recognizance.
He’s due back in court at 8:30 a.m. July 27 in San Fernando.
The DA’s office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the status of his case.
