5 Jailed, Others Sought in Santa Clarita Attack on Deputies

Five men were in jail Sunday on suspicion of assault and at least three others were being sought after they attacked a group of off-duty sheriff’s deputies in the parking lot of a Santa Clarita Valley hamburger restaurant, authorities said.

The five arrested men and three to five of their friends started to “confront and verbally challenge” the five deputies, who were walking to their cars about 1:10 a.m. Sunday after eating at the In-N-Out Burger restaurant at Chiquella Lane and the Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Pat Hunter said.

The men earlier had been asked by the restaurant security guard to leave for being loud, swearing and bothering employees and patrons, Sgt. Howard Fairchild said.

The deputies, who were wearing street clothes, identified themselves and tried to avoid a physical confrontation, officials said. But one of the suspects knocked a deputy to the ground and kicked him in the head, officials said. The deputies were “outsized and outnumbered” by the men, who ranged in height from 5 feet, 11 inches to 6 feet, 7 inches, Hunter said.

Weapons Drawn

The deputies “again identified themselves and drew their weapons in self-defense,” Hunter said. No shots were fired, officials said.

Five of the men were detained, but the other suspected attackers fled before the deputies could summon help. Authorities were still looking for the men Sunday afternoon.

The reason for the confrontation was being investigated. Officials said that the suspects did not know initially that they were dealing with deputies. “To anyone from the outside, it just looked like five guys leaving the restaurant, going to the car,” Fairchild said. The deputies all work at Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho, a county jail in Castaic.

Loren Cash and Keven Price, both 19 and of Valencia; Deon Myricks, 19, of Northridge; Aaron Clark, 21, of Canyon Country, and Michael Collins, 19, of Los Angeles, were booked in the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station jail for assault with intent to commit great bodily injury. They were being held in lieu of $3,000 bail each.

The injured deputy, whose name was not released, received stitches for his head wound at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.