Fight Allegedly Escalates to Attempted Murder
A fistfight between two men outside a Ventura convenience store escalated to attempted murder early Sunday when one of the men pulled a gun and fired several shots as he chased the other man for several blocks, police said.
No one was injured in the incident outside the Circle K store at 1007 E. Main St. just after midnight, Ventura police said.
Police said Joseph Michael Ransome, 26, and Anthony Pech, 23, fought outside the market. But when Pech began to lose the fistfight, he pulled out a handgun and began chasing Ransome, according to investigators.
Ransome avoided at least three rounds, including one bullet that struck a cinder-block wall just above his head, showering him in concrete fragments, police said.
Accounts from witnesses led police to a nearby residence. The handgun allegedly used by Pech was found in a patch of shrubbery near the house, police said. It had been reported stolen to the Port Hueneme Police Department earlier this year.
Police arrested Pech on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of stolen property, officials said. He was being held at Ventura County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
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