In the quiet pre-dawn hours, an incident erupted in Simi Valley, sending the local police scrambling after a trespassing suspect allegedly turned an ordinary Sunday morning into a scene of fear. At around 6:33 a.m. on January 28, 2024, police were called to a residence in the 1200 block of Newman Street after a report of a suspect brandishing a firearm. The confrontation saw the unidentified trespasser allegedly point the weapon at a homeowner before beating a hasty retreat from the scene.
Police officers, sweeping the area with urgency, set up a perimeter to pin down the suspect. As they combed through the neighborhood, a call from a watchful resident on the 1000 block of Hillview Lane flagged a stranger fitting the suspect's description. Responding to the tip, police promptly detained the individual, according to a report by the Simi Valley Police Department.
A closer look into the day's events unearthed a spate of criminal activity, the suspect's morning foray included attempts to steal two vehicles and the successful pilferage from another. Residents in the vicinity saw their quiet lanes become an impromptu crime scene, with officers discovering stolen items, though the firearm used in the assault remained elusive.
The man at the center of this turmoil was later identified as 38-year-old Kevin Dessaint from Sylmar, CA. Dessaint faces multiple charges laid by authorities, including assault with a deadly weapon, two counts related to the attempted vehicle thefts, and property theft from a vehicle, as he was booked into the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Pre-Trial Detention Facility, the police department stated.
They call on the community's eyes and ears to aid them, asking witnesses to contact the Simi Valley Police Department at (805) 583-6950 with any insights that could shed more light on the altercation or the wider string of offenses.
