The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office filed 13 felony charges against a man accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s Bouquet Canyon Road residence and firing a gun around children there, according to a criminal complaint filed last month in San Fernando Superior Court.
Daniel Francisco Ponce, 29, was arrested after what Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials initially described as an incidence of burglary and domestic violence at a home in the 28800 block of Bouquet Canyon Road.
A woman called the station around 2:45 a.m. May 26 to report her ex-boyfriend was breaking into her home armed with a gun. Multiple residents also reported hearing gunshots in the area around the intersection of David Way and Vasquez Canyon Road.
SCV Station deputies responded to the call, found a man who matched the description given of the suspect and took him into custody, according to a May 28 email from Deputy Kabrina Borbon of the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
The criminal complaint also alleges the 5-foot, 4-inch, 160-pound Ponce became combative with deputies and kicked out the window of a patrol car, causing more than $400 in damage.
A 14th misdemeanor charge alleged Ponce obstructed the peace officers who tried to arrest him.
The complaint does not include details on what happened in the home that Sunday morning, but the felony complaint alleges terror was inflicted upon several children who were present.
In addition to first-degree burglary for the break-in, Ponce is facing four counts of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause serious injury or death, with four named victims in the complaint. Each of the five charges carries a potential sentence of six years in state prison.
There are also four felony counts connected to the willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.
A station official confirmed at the scene of the shooting that .45-caliber shell casings were recovered.
Ponce is also facing an assault with a deadly weapon charge for the shooting, and two charges connected to the fact that he had two previous convictions in Riverside County, a reckless evading arrest charge in 2020 and a 2014 resisting arrest charge.
He pleaded not guilty earlier this month in Department S in San Fernando, according to a court clerk. He’s due back in court July 15 for another discussion on the setting of a date for his preliminary hearing.
At the preliminary hearing, the charges and evidence are presented, and a judge decides whether a trial is warranted.
Ponce remains in custody pending his trial in lieu of $560,000 bail. He’s being held at North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, according to LASD custody records available online.