Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Illegal Firearm Possession & Manufacturing Operation
| Nature of Incident: | Illegal Firearm Possession & Manufacturing Operation | ||||
| Report Number: | 26-49806 | ||||
| Location: | 17000 block of Vintage Street, Northridge 300 block of Second Street, Moorpark 15000 block of Doris Court, Moorpark |
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| Date & Time: | 05/08/2026, 7:00 AM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Fillmore Patrol, Fillmore Detective Unit, Gun Violence Reduction Program, Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit (SEU), West County SEU, Thousand Oaks SEU, Moorpark SEU |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) David Chavez (S) Elpidio Chavez (S) Joshua Michel (S) Danis Perdomo (S) Katelyn Perdomo Miller |
Moorpark Moorpark Northridge Northridge Northridge |
36 46 31 25 27 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| On 4/19/2026, patrol deputies contacted and arrested (S) David Chavez for possession of an assault weapon, after vigilant community members called and reported loud and suspicious activity by Chavez. On 04/19/2026, at about 1:39 AM, patrol deputies from the Fillmore Station contacted (S) David Chavez, a 36-year-old Moorpark resident reference a noise complaint on River Street in Fillmore. A subsequent patrol investigation led to the discovery of an unregistered/serialized, fully automatic, ghost gun concealed inside David’s vehicle. This ghost gun also met the criteria classifying the firearm as an assault weapon. The term “ghost gun,” is used to describe firearms which lack serial numbers or markings. Additionally, ghost guns are illegally transferred without the use of a federal firearms license dealer, which makes the firearms untraceable by law enforcement and are preferred by criminals. The prevalence of these firearms has been on the rise in recent years. Since David is a felon who has served time in state prison, he was arrested for several felony offenses to include, Penal Code § 29800(a)(1) – [Felon in Possession of a Firearm], Penal Code § 30605(a) – [Possession of an Assault Weapon], Penal Code § 27545 – [Unlawful Firearm Transfer], and Penal Code § 32310(a) – [Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine]. David was transported to the Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he was booked without incident. He later posted bail and remains out of custody pending court proceedings. Following David’s arrest, Fillmore station detectives identified a source for his illegally manufactured assault weapon and another family member likely involved with unlawful firearm activities. On 05/08/2026, personnel from the Fillmore Detective Unit, Gun Violence Reduction Program, Camarillo SEU, West County SEU, Thousand Oaks SEU, and Moorpark SEU executed search warrants at three locations within the cities of Moorpark and Northridge. During the warrant service in Northridge, detectives discovered (S) Danis Perdomo concealed a loaded handgun inside his 6-year-old’s school backpack as they exited the residence in an effort to prevent its discovery by law enforcement. Danis was arrested for child endangerment and possession of a stolen firearm. Danis’ wife, (S) Katelyn Perdomo Miller was believed to have knowledge of the handgun inside their child’s backpack and was arrested for child endangerment and conspiracy. Danis and Katelyn were later released pending a case submission and charges being filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of several illegally possessed firearms, a stolen firearm, illegal assault weapons, illegally manufactured suppressors, hundreds of illegally manufactured swift links, and firearm manufacturing equipment. A Swift Link is a firearm component for AR-15 rifles that can function as a drop-in auto sear, enabling fully automatic fire when installed, and is legally classified as a machine gun. Ultimately, (S) Elpidio Chavez was arrested for Penal Code § 32 – [Aider and Abettor] and (S) Joshua Michel was arrested for Penal Code § 27545 – [Unlawful Firearm Transfer], Penal Code § 29810(d)(1) – [Manufacturing Firearms Without a License], Penal Code § 30400(A) – [Sell Unserialized Firearm Parts], Penal Code § 30600(a) – [Manufacturing an Assault Weapon], Penal Code § 30605(a) – [Possession of an Assault Weapon], Penal Code § 32625(b) – [Converting a Firearm to a Machinegun], and Penal Code § 33410 – [Possession of a Silencer]. Both Elpidio and Michel were transported and booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility where they later posted bail and remain out of custody pending court proceedings. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Gun Violence Reduction Program is an investigative unit funded by a grant from the California Department of Justice. The grant funding supports the efforts of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to reduce gun violence by conducting investigations related to the seizure of firearms and ammunition from persons who are prohibited from possessing them. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships. Join us in the fight on crime by following us on “X” @fillmoresheriff, Facebook, Instagram @VCSHERIFF and @FILLMOREPD, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories. |
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| Prepared by: | Sergeant Jarrod Foote | ||||
| News Release Date: | 05/11/2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Axel Morales [email protected] 805-477-7011 Detective Evert Ponce [email protected] 805-477-7012 |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Eduardo Malagon YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511