RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENTSheriff Chad Bianco |
| Press Release: | Assault with a Deadly Weapon |
| Station Area: | Banning |
| Written Date: | July 22, 2020 | Time: | 5:00 PM |
| Incident Date: | July 21, 2020 | Time: | 12:26 PM |
| Incident Location: | 700 block of West Barbour Street, Banning |
| Reporting Officer: | Sergeant Mike Bennett, Region 2 Gang Task Force Commander |
| File Number(s): | 20-1640 |
Details:
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| Thomas Pha |
On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, at 1226 hours, Banning Police Department patrol officers were dispatched to an armed subject call in the 700 block of West Barbour Street in the City of Banning. The reporting party and victim reported her husband, later identified as Thomas Pha, a 34-year old resident of the City of Hemet, was armed with a handgun. Pha threatened to murder the victim and her mother. It was also confirmed Pha is a convicted felon with several arrests for possession of guns. Officers arrived moments later and discovered Pha had left the location in a vehicle and took six juveniles with him. A vehicle description and license plate number of the vehicle Pha was driving was obtained.
The San Gorgonio Special Operations Gang Task Force (Region 2) assumed the investigation. At 1400 hours, Pha’s vehicle was located in the 15000 block of Calle Rosa Road in the City of Moreno Valley. The exact location Pha was inside along with the six juveniles was confirmed. A search warrant was obtained for the location and for the arrest of Pha. At 1630 hours, the search warrant was served by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Service Team and Pha was taken into custody without incident. All six juveniles were located safely with no injuries. During a search of Pha’s vehicle, and several live ammunition rounds were located. It was later determined Pha had dismantled his handgun and threw the handgun away at an undisclosed location. Pha was later booked into the Larry Smith Correctional Facility for the following charges.
- Assault with a Deadly Weapon
- Criminal Threats
- Child Endangerment
- Felon in Possession of Ammunition
Anyone with additional information regarding this arrest is encouraged to contact Sergeant Mike Bennett at 951-849-1511. The Riverside County Gang Task Force is a collaborative effort of several law enforcement agencies with the goal of combating criminal street gangs. The San Gorgonio Special Operations Gang Task Force is one of 6 teams which compose the Riverside County Regional Gang Task Force. The San Gorgonio Special Operations Gang Task Force is staffed with members from the Banning Police Department, Beaumont Police Department, and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.