Not Guilty Plea Over Threat With BB Gun

A man who allegedly pointed a loaded BB gun toward children at a North Hollywood elementary school will face criminal charges of brandishing an imitation firearm and a deadly weapon, the city attorney said Monday.

Pablo Valezquez Ruiz, 36, of North Hollywood, pleaded innocent to the charges in Van Nuys Municipal Court on Friday. Court Commissioner Martin Green ordered Ruiz to stand trial on Sept. 18.

If convicted, the charges, both misdemeanors, carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.

LAPD officers arrested Ruiz on July 31 after a neighbor called police and said he saw the suspect point what appeared to be a rifle in the direction of the school yard at Victory Boulevard Elementary, said prosecutor Wayne Mooney, a deputy city attorney in the Van Nuys office.

The neighbor, who said he was walking his dog at the time, alleged that when Ruiz saw him, the defendant held the rifle alongside his leg and went back inside, Mooney said. The neighbor, who said he feared for the safety of the children, then went to his home and called police.

When investigators arrived at Ruiz’s home, they found a loaded BB gun in a bathroom and arrested Ruiz, according to Mooney.

Officers said the gun was fitted with a telescopic sight and had a similar appearance to a semi-automatic rifle, Mooney said. The witness identified the gun as the one Ruiz allegedly pointed at the school.

Ruiz was released on $1,000 bond.