VENTURA : Man Accused of Trying to Kill Officer
A 39-year-old Calabasas man who told authorities a bomb was embedded in his cellular phone was arrested Wednesday after allegedly trying to push a Ventura police officer over an 11th-floor hotel balcony.
Edgar Chad Avanzar was taken into custody at the Holiday Inn in Ventura just before 9 a.m. after being wrestled to the ground by Officer Pat Stevens, police said. He was booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer and was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
The incident began when Avanzar called police to report his suspicions that someone had planted a bomb in the headset of his cellular phone. After deciding the suspicions were false, Stevens followed Avanzar to his room and began interviewing him there.
After Stevens stepped outside onto the balcony to use his portable radio, Avanzar charged the officer from behind, knocking him off balance, police said. As the two struggled, Avanzar tried to push Stevens over the balcony railing, police said. He then reached for the officer’s gun and baton.
Stevens eventually subdued the suspect by pushing him onto the bed and holding him down until other officers arrived, authorities said.
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