OJAI : CHP Names Officers Present at Shooting

Two Ventura County CHP officers involved in the shooting of a man who allegedly threatened them with a gun Thursday night were identified Friday as George Orozco and Mark Rasmussen.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting of Dennis Dale Agdeppa after a pursuit on California 150 between Santa Paula and Ojai. Meanwhile, California Highway Patrol officers said they are conducting an internal investigation.

Agdeppa, 38, of Ventura was treated at Ojai Valley Hospital and then was transferred to the Ventura County Jail infirmary, where he was listed in good condition Friday evening, a jail spokeswoman said.

Orozco and Rasmussen remain on full-time duty, Officer T. J. McAllister said. The two will return to regular patrols after they are interviewed about the shooting, she said.

Rasmussen, 25, of Camarillo has been with the CHP for three years, and Orozco, 24, of Oxnard has been with the force for 1 1/2 years.

The shooting occurred after Orozco saw a car driving erratically and tried to stop it, authorities said. When the car failed to pull over, Orozco pursued it at speeds up to 70 m.p.h. on California 150 and onto a private road.

The driver, later identified as Agdeppa, ran the vehicle into heavy brush more than a mile down the road and fled on foot, authorities said.

Agdeppa then stopped and got down on the ground, officials said. When Orozco knelt and tried to handcuff him, Agdeppa grabbed Orozco’s gun, Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert McFarland said.

Rasmussen, who arrived in a separate car, caught up to the two as they struggled for the gun, McFarland said.

Agdeppa got the gun and said: “Let me go, or I’ll kill you. Why are you chasing me? Why are you doing this to me?” McFarland said.

He then pointed the gun at Rasmussen, who fired several times and hit Agdeppa once in the thigh and once in the wrist, McFarland said. Agdeppa also had a graze wound on his chest.

Agdeppa was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and brandishing a weapon at a peace officer, authorities said. Bail was set at $250,000, a jail spokesman said.