A 36-year-old Barstow man is behind bars after police say he showed up at another man's workplace early Tuesday, pulled a silver handgun during an argument, and threatened him — a confrontation that a security guard's fast thinking helped bring to a swift end.
Barstow Police officers responded to a brandishing report at approximately 12:34 a.m. Tuesday at a business in the 2500 block of Commerce Parkway, according to VVNG. Justin Woody had come to the victim's workplace, and the two became involved in an argument that police say escalated when Woody brandished the silver handgun and threatened the victim.
An on-site security guard witnessed the incident and intervened before it could escalate further, the outlet reports.
Officers Track Down Suspect Vehicle Within Hours
Officers later located the suspect vehicle in the 1100 block of East Main Street and conducted an investigative stop. Woody was detained without incident, the report states. Officers then searched the vehicle but did not locate the firearm inside it.
Police searched Woody's motel room with his consent.
Inside, police located ammunition and a pistol grip, per the same account. Investigators determined that Woody is prohibited from possessing ammunition.
Charges Carry Steep Potential Penalties
Woody's arrest involved suspicion of violating Penal Code 30305(a)(1), felon in possession of ammunition, and Penal Code 422(a), criminal threats. Under California Penal Code Section 30305(a)(1), people who are legally banned from owning or possessing a firearm — including convicted felons — are strictly barred from owning, possessing, or controlling any ammunition, according to Justia Law.
That charge is classified as a wobbler offense, meaning prosecutors can pursue it as a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in county jail or as a felony carrying a state prison term of 16 months, two years, or three years, according to Shouse Law Group. The criminal threats count carries its own weight: California Penal Code Section 422(a) defines criminal threats as willfully threatening to commit a crime that would result in death or great bodily injury, with the specific intent that the statement be taken as a threat and cause the victim sustained, reasonable fear, per Power Trial Lawyers.
A felony conviction on that charge counts as a strike under California's Three Strikes Law and can carry a state prison sentence of up to three years, according to the Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer Professional Corporation.
Booked in Adelanto Amid Rising County Violence
Woody was booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto.
Countywide, the rate of violent crime rose 33% between 2023 and 2024.
Barstow police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Officer Anthony Miranda at (760) 256-2211 or by email at [email protected]. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27469).
