– By F. Scott Faulkner
THOUSAND OAKS, CA — January 3, 2025 – Ventura County, CA
Just after 1:20 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residential area of
Thousand Oaks after several callers reported hearing gunfire.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Kenneth Ledesma, “witnesses heard multiple shots and
saw a group of individuals flee,” including one person who appeared to be firing a handgun.
Deputies at the scene located “physical evidence at the scene confirming that a shooting had
occurred.”
Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office East County Investigations Bureau took
over the case and began piecing together what led up to the gunfire.
Through witness statements and evidence collection, investigators identified five suspects believed to be involved.
Two days later, on the evening of Jan. 2,detectives with the East County Special
Enforcement Unit spotted the suspects traveling together in a vehicle in Thousand Oaks. With
help from the Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Unit, deputies conducted a stop and
detained all five occupants without incident.
A search of the vehicle turned up a handgun believed to have been used in the shooting, along
with items investigators described as gang-related paraphernalia.
Three male juveniles, all 17 and residents of Thousand Oaks, were arrested and booked into the
Ventura County Juvenile Justice Center.
They were arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded
firearm in a vehicle, possession of a firearm by vehicle occupants, unlawful discharge of a
firearm, conspiracy, and committing a crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Two adults were also taken into custody. Cologio Bernal, 19, of Thousand Oaks, and Leonardo
Baas, 18, also of Thousand Oaks, were booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention
Facility on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Photo: Stock Image
