Ventura County crime spree: Suspect arrested after going on violent rampage killing 2, injuring 3

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - Southern California authorities said a man was arrested after going on a violent crime spree in Ventura County, killing two people and injuring three others.  

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the first incident occurred at the intersection of Channel Islands Boulevard and Rice Avenue in Oxnard around 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29.  

During a press conference, officials said the suspect, Alvin Otis Johnson, 42, was inside a car with a woman and man when he started stabbing them. The driver pulled the car over as the stabbing continued. The victims, a 33-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, managed to exit the vehicle and were transported to a hospital where the man later died. He was identified as Ricardo Juarez. 

Officials say Johnson then drove off in that car. While law enforcement was searching for the vehicle, around 5 p.m. deputies received a 911 call from a home on the 3400 block of Huerta Court in Camarillo. Simultaneously, officials said a man showed up at the police station to report an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred at a house in Camarillo.  

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man stabs, carjacks man in Oxnard before Camarillo shooting, police say - Suspect arrested

The 47-year-old victim told authorities he was pistol-whipped by an unknown man. When deputies responded to the house, they located a man matching the description given to them by the victim at the police station. They said Johnson was armed with a gun and was quickly taken into custody.  

As deputies entered the house, they located a 75-year-old woman with significant injuries. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel. She was identified as Marilyn Gallagher. 

Inside the home, the sheriff's office also located the 78-year-old husband of the woman and a 51-year-old man who was pistol-whipped, along with a 47-year-old with minor injuries.  

"This investigation is fluid, it's dynamic, it's active, it's ongoing. We're trying to figure out exactly what prompted this series of events today for the suspect to perpetrate these violent crimes," said Captain Dean Worthy with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. 

Worthy said it appears drugs might have played a factor.  

He added that the suspect and victims have a loose affiliation with each other.  

"These people all know one another there. There have been relationships established in the past. They're not close with the residents of the occupants of this residence, but they do all know one another. It sounds like they travel in the same circle and group friendships." 

Worthy said it was still unclear if the woman in the house had been shot. 

A motive for the violent rampage is unclear. 

Johnson was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, for two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, negligent discharge of a 
firearm, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and addict in possession of a firearm.

Johnson’s bail is currently set at $2,000,000.