Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies returned to the 29700 block of Cromwell Avenue on Monday, as an “ongoing argument” over dogs there escalated to violence, according to a station official.
Previous incidents over loud, barking dogs at a home there — where an SCV Sheriff’s Station deputy ended up shooting a dog during a March incident — have made life “hell,” on the street, according to a Cromwell Avenue resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Enrique Del Toro, 47, of Val Verde, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon at 10:10 p.m. Monday, according to SCV Sheriff’s Station custody records available online.
He was booked into custody at the station at 12:37 a.m., and was released on $30,000 bail at 11:23 a.m. Tuesday.
Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the station, confirmed Monday’s incident involved a visit to the same home deputies responded to in March. During the previous incident, concerns from neighbors about dogs at the home resulted in a significant response from law enforcement and a dog being euthanized after it was injured in the shooting. An L.A. Animal Care and Control officer said during that visit that two additional dogs were identified as not being properly contained on the property.
On Monday night, deputies responded again to the home after a dispute with a neighbor had turned violent, according to the preliminary report.
“Deputies made contact with the victim, a male adult, and … the suspect’s dog was barking at him aggressively. And then the victim confronted the suspect regarding ongoing problems with the suspect’s barking dogs,” Miller said, citing the report.
A verbal argument escalated and at some point, Miller said, Del Toro allegedly picked up a brick and threw it toward the victim. The victim indicated that it hit him on the arm
Del Toro then ran into his home and would not leave, according to Miller. A neighbor mentioned approximately 25 minutes of “callouts,” to which Del Toro eventually complied.
A station official said Del Toro was arrested without any further incident. A neighbor described a scene where a number of people had gathered outside to see what was going on, as a woman was filming all of Del Toro’s interactions with deputies, until he was put in the back of a patrol vehicle.
In March, a sheriff’s deputy was filmed by another neighbor discharging a firearm, after deputies were called to the home over a report of a neighbor who had been bitten by one of the dogs.
In a previous statement about the incident, Paul Maradiaga, animal control manager for L.A. County, indicated that the exact circumstances were unclear, but the dogs were exhibiting aggressive behavior with law enforcement officers who responded to the attack.
“Our (animal care officer) responded and, upon arrival, sheriff deputies were already at the location. LASD reported that the dog attacked a male subject (on the hand), and during the incident, a deputy discharged his firearm multiple times, wounding the dog in question,” according to a previous email from Maradiaga.
The March incident resulted in a felony charge being filed against Del Toro, failing to control a dangerous animal, to which he has pleaded not guilty, as well as an allegation that he had one or more previous felony convictions.
Del Toro is due back in court next month regarding the scheduling of his preliminary hearing.
Information on any potential charges connected to the incident was not immediately available from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
