Community
Media Release: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Oak Park Man After Knife Attack on Elderly Victims
| Nature of Incident: | Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Oak Park Man After Knife Attack on Elderly Victims |
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| Report Number: | 26-98536 | ||||
| Location: | 5900 Block E. Sunny Vista Avenue, Oak Park |
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| Date & Time: | July 30, 2026, 8:00pm | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Bureau - Special Enforcement Unit, Major Crime Unit Thousand Oaks Patrol Services |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Chad Nelson (V) Edler Female (V) Edler Male |
Oak Park Oak Park Oak Park |
40 70 80 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| Ventura County Sheriff's deputies arrested an Oak Park man after he carried out a violent knife attack against his elderly mother and stepfather inside their home Thursday evening, leaving the 80-year-old victim injured. On July 30, 2026, deputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at a residence in the 5900 block of East Sunny Vista Avenue in Oak Park. A 911 caller reported that her adult son was attacking her husband with a knife. Deputies arrived quickly and upon entering the residence, deputies found the suspect, Chad Nelson, standing over his injured 80-year-old stepfather, who was lying on the living room floor bleeding from multiple injuries. Deputies immediately detained Nelson and allowed Ventura County Fire Department personnel and American Medical Response personnel to enter and provide emergency medical care for the injured victim. While deputies were escorting Nelson from the residence, the victim spontaneously stated, "You saved my life," indicating he feared he would have been killed had deputies not intervened. The investigation determined Nelson allegedly became enraged at the victims following a family discussion. Nelson then armed himself with an approximately 10-inch butcher knife from the kitchen, advanced toward the mobility-impaired victim, and assaulted him with the knife. The victim sustained multiple non-life threating injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Following the investigation, Chad Nelson was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for the following felony offenses:
Nelson remains in custody at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility with bail set at $200,000. He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on August 3, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office reminds the public that domestic violence can affect victims of any age. Violence against elderly family members is a serious crime, and deputies remain committed to protecting vulnerable members of our community and holding violent offenders accountable. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Kenneth Ledesma | ||||
| News Release Date: | July 31, 2026 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Kenneth Ledesma [email protected] (805) 371-8332 |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Albert Ramirez YES NO X |
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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