Man Wanted on Parole Violation Caught in Surf

VENTURA —  A man wanted for a parole violation was arrested in the surf off a Ventura beach Friday after leading police on an eight-hour search that began near the Ventura Keys, authorities said.

In a related incident, a Ventura police officer went to the emergency room of a local hospital after being struck by a car while impounding the suspect’s vehicle.

About 3:30 p.m., Ventura police officers took an unexpected dip in the ocean west of Weymouth Lane and apprehended Stephen Charles Herian, 44, of Ventura. Herian, whom police considered armed and dangerous, was wanted for violation of parole, evading an officer and resisting an officer, Sgt. Larry White said.

The incident began about 7:20 a.m. when officers responded to a call of a man throwing rocks and yelling near the office of the Motel 6 on Harbor Boulevard, authorities said. When the police arrived, the man fled south on Harbor Boulevard in a van.

The man ditched the van on the onramp to the southbound Ventura Freeway and ran across Harbor Boulevard into the Ventura Keys, White said. Police identified the owner of the van as Herian and began a yard-to-yard search for the suspect.

While impounding the van, Ventura Police Cpl. John Garner was struck by a car. He drove himself to the Ventura County Medical Center emergency room and was treated for a minor injury to his left hand and released. The CHP contacted the driver who hit the officer and is investigating the incident as a hit-and-run.

About 3:10 p.m. officers found Herian hiding on the stairs adjacent to the beach at the end of Weymouth Lane. He tried to run east but then ran into the surf, White said.

A boat from the Ventura Harbor Patrol was already in the area, and officers had stationed themselves on nearby jetties, but the suspect refused to return to shore, White said.

Officers Eric Jensen and Doug Driver along with state lifeguards went into the water and trapped the suspect, who allegedly began to fight with the officers, White said. They eventually dragged the suspect to the shore and took him into custody.

Herian was booked into Ventura County Jail on Friday night. Because he violated his state parole, Herian is not eligible for bail, a jail spokeswoman said.