Photo: Evidence seized during search warrants | Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
Written By: Robert L. McCullough
October 15, 2022 – Ventura County, Ca. Following the action-packed events that took place in the early afternoon of October 12th , it’s not much of a stretch to come to the conclusion that 38-year-old Ventura resident John Michael Picarelli has been watching too Netflix replays of The Bourne Identity or Taken, wherein fictional heroes constantly evade capture or imminent death simply because they’re either incredibly clever, amazing getaway drivers, or able to hold their breath under ice cold water for extraordinary lengths of time.
Evidence seized during search warrants | Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
Such, however, was not the case for Picarelli—known to law enforcement as a convicted felon prohibited from contact with or possession of firearms or ammunition.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Beau Rodriguez, pursuant to his parole terms, Picarelli was the subject of a search warrant providing for “a firearm investigation” when detectives conducted a traffic stop while he cruised down Ventura’s West Telegraph Road.
By all appearances, Picarelli wasn’t interested in participating in a search of his vehicle, and he summarily “sped away and crashed into an unmarked police vehicle” before racing off to the neighboring community of Santa Paula. With cops hot on his tail, Picarelli eventually headed back into the City of Ventura, whereupon he once again “crashed his vehicle” and then fled on foot “inside an apartment complex.”
From there, things only became more intense as Picarelli broke into an apartment and barricaded himself inside. As is their wont, detectives on the scene summoned the Ventura Police Department Tactical Negotiating Unit, the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, the VCSD Sheriff’s Gang Unit, and multiple officers from the Santa Paula Police Department. Biding their time, after an hour of stand-off, law enforcement personnel “successfully took Picarelli into custody without incident,” proving once again that Real Life is no Hollywood movie.
The ensuing search of Picarelli’s vehicle led to the discovering of “multiple illegal firearms, ammunition,” a sawed-off shotgun, and various assault rifle parts. He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on multiple firearms and parole violations.
