Man arrested after violent rampage in Ventura County leaves two dead, two injured

A 42-year-old man was arrested in connection with a violent rampage in Ventura County on Thursday that left two people dead and two others injured, authorities said.

Alvin Otis Johnson of Camarillo was arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges after he attacked several people with a knife and pistol, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect apparently knew the victims.

The first attack occurred shortly after 1 p.m. near Oxnard when Johnson stabbed a 33-year-old man in a car they were riding in with a 43-year-old woman, said Sheriff’s Capt. Dean Worthy.

The man and woman were able to get out of the vehicle and Johnson drove away in the victim’s vehicle, according to authorities. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died, Worthy said. He was later identified as Ricardo Juarez, according to authorities.

Later that afternoon, the Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from a Camarillo residence. While deputies were en route, a 47-year-old man arrived at the Camarillo police station and said he had been pistol whipped by a man at the same location, Worthy said.

At the home, deputies found a man, later identified as Johnson, armed with a handgun, whom they took into custody.

Video footage from OnSceneTV shows a group of deputies speaking to the handcuffed suspect as he sits on the sidewalk.

Inside the home, deputies found a 75-year-old woman with significant injuries, Worthy said. She was rushed to a hospital, but later died, he said. She was later identified by authorities as Marilyn Gallagher.

A 78-year-old man, identified as the woman’s husband, was also in the home along with a 51-year-old man who was also believed to have been pistol whipped, authorities said.

“This investigation is fluid. ... It’s ongoing,” Worthy said Thursday evening during a news conference outside the residence.

He added that the suspect and the victims had a loose affiliation, but a motive for the attacks was not revealed.