Court records from a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station investigation demonstrate one of the biggest problems the area is facing in terms of violent crimes: domestic violence.
Local deputies became involved in a violent incident happening on McBean Parkway after a good Samaritan observed an alleged incident and called 911 for help, according to court records.
The victim reported she was driving the suspect, her husband of eight years, home from a party in Valencia around 11:30 p.m. back in March when the incident began.
The wife is unsure what provoked the rage, according to the investigator’s report, but she said she did believe he was “very intoxicated” from alcohol.
In an apparent rage, the husband began to get violent in the car, according to her statements to deputies, punching his wife in the face.
The woman apparently pulled over to help regain her composure, and her husband got out of the car on McBean and then broke off the passenger-side mirror and then used that to dent the car, according to a court record of the incident based on sworn statements from the victim.
The court record indicates at this point a witness came upon the incident in his car and observed the victim driving her newer BMW sedan behind the suspect, who was on foot on McBean Parkway.
The victim was able to record some of the attack on her phone, according to the deputy’s report.
The witness reported seeing the victim leave her car to approach her husband, the suspect in the report, and the husband responded by knocking the woman down and then kicking her, according to the deputy’s report from a witness and the victim.
In response to the statements, deputies filed for what’s known as a Ramey warrant for the husband’s arrest. A Ramey warrant allows an arrest warrant to be issued prior to the filing of charges based on evidence presented to the court by law enforcement.
The arrest warrant was filed in May, which resulted in the husband’s arrest around 9:30 a.m. May 9, according to Sheriff’s Station arrest records. The suspect was released in lieu of a $50,000 bond hours later, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.
The incidents are part of a growing problem for Sheriff’s Station officials, according to Capt. Justin Diez, who addressed the rise in May when talking about the local increase.
The SCV has seen nearly a 36% increase in aggravated assaults for the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, according to Sheriff’s Department data.
There were 98 such reports in the first half of 2023 and 133 in the first half of 2024.
Diez said most of those were related to domestic violence, adding that was easily the most common type of violence seen locally.
“It doesn’t matter where you were,” Diez said, “it happens in all communities, any community you work in, domestic violence is always prevalent, especially when alcohol is involved.”
Locally, if anyone is experiencing domestic violence, they can contact the SCV Child & Family Center for more information and support services at 661-259-9439.
