A 36-year-old Apple Valley man was treated at the scene after investigators say he was beaten with a large metal pipe, an assault that led to a search of a Jelan Road home and the discovery of 15 firearms. Two residents are now behind bars, and Pena refused to come outside.
According to a written statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department cited by VVNG, Apple Valley Station deputies responded Tuesday to a residence in the 14000 block of Jelan Road after reports of a fight. Investigators determined that 47-year-old Erik Pena had allegedly assaulted the 36-year-old victim with a large metal pipe, and the victim received medical treatment at the scene.
Search Warrant Precedes a Standoff
Pena reportedly refused to exit the residence. Deputies, with assistance from the Detective Bureau, then obtained a search warrant for the home and an arrest warrant for Pena, per the sheriff’s statement. Deputies later served the warrants, and he and 32-year-old Nancy Bueno were ultimately detained.
Once inside, deputies and detectives recovered a substantial haul: 15 firearms, a large quantity of ammunition, and the metal pipe believed to have been used in the assault, the sheriff’s department reported. Both Pena and Bueno were transported to the High Desert Detention Center following the search.
Bookings and Alleged Roles
Pena was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, while Bueno was booked on suspicion of being an accessory, according to the same account. The sheriff’s department has not detailed what role, if any, Bueno allegedly played beyond the accessory allegation.
The Jelan Road case lands amid a string of recent Apple Valley weapons busts. In August, a 22-year-old Apple Valley man was arrested after deputies serving a search warrant turned up firearms, ammunition and high-capacity magazines, per a separate VVNG report. Then in September, another Apple Valley investigation led to the recovery of nine firearms, including one reported stolen, along with a large quantity of ammunition, resulting in the arrest of 56-year-old Romulo Benitez, VVNG reported separately.
Countywide Enforcement Activity
The 15-firearm count out of the Jelan Road home also echoes a broader pattern of large seizures across San Bernardino County this year. During a weeklong gang enforcement sweep in early September, deputies seized 15 firearms, including four ghost guns, and arrested 14 people after serving 16 search warrants countywide, according to the Daily Bulletin. A year earlier, a similar Operation Consequences push in Apple Valley during a single week in September 2025 also seized 15 firearms, including one ghost gun, and resulted in nine felony arrests, per the Sierra Sun Times, with activity centered on the 26000 block of Horizon Avenue and the 19000 block of Saint Timothy Lane.
Anyone with information related to the Jelan Road case is asked to contact the Apple Valley Police Station at 760-240-7400 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous can text the word REPORT to the anonymous tip line at 844-909-3006.
