Deputy Fires at Suspected Trespasser, Misses

An off-duty sheriff’s deputy chasing an alleged trespasser through an east Ventura orchard at night fired at the man when he stopped and turned around with his hand in his pocket, authorities said Tuesday.

Felipe Robledo, 22, was not struck and ran off during the incident that occurred about 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the 11300 block of Foothill Road, Sheriff’s Capt. Keith Parks said.

Robledo was issued a citation for resisting arrest when authorities located him the next day at a home he shares with his mother half a mile from the shooting scene on Telegraph Road. He was found without a weapon, Parks said.

The deputy, whom Parks refused to identify, was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the department, as is standard in all officer-involved shootings, Parks said.

“The way he [Robledo] acted, it was as if he was going to pull a weapon out,” Parks said.

Minutes before the shooting, Robledo had walked up to the deputy’s house and asked for some auto parts, saying his car had broken down. The deputy didn’t see a car and asked Robledo to leave, Parks said.

The deputy called for a patrol deputy to respond after Robledo walked onto a neighbor’s property, Parks said. While waiting for the unit to arrive, the deputy tried to arrest Robledo but a chase ensued.

A sheriff’s helicopter, deputies and a K-9 unit searched the area.

Parks said Tuesday night that Robledo had reportedly taken a ring from his home that belongs to another family member and had kept his hand in his pocket to hang on to it.

“He was concerned the deputy would find that,” Parks said.