Accused Horse Thief Arrested After Standoff With Deputies in Spring Valley
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- 8 hours ago
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The man was arrested early Monday after an 8-hour standoff on the Bancroft Drive property
A 29-year-old man accused of pulling a gun and stealing a horse from a man in Spring Valley was arrested early Monday after an 8-hour standoff with sheriff’s deputies, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Office was contacted around 7:30 p.m. by the victim, who reported the horse had been taken from a property off Bancroft Drive near Avocado Street.
“Every person who shall feloniously steal, take, transport or carry the carcass of any bovine, caprine, equine, ovine, or swine animal or of any mule, jack or jenny, which is the personal property of another, or who shall fraudulently appropriate such property which has been entrusted to him or her, is guilty of grand theft.”— California Code, Penal Code - PEN § 487a
Deputies responded and located the suspect a short distance away, but he refused to stop and “ran away with the stolen horse,” Sgt. David Leonhardi said in a news release.
A sheriff’s helicopter responded and assisted deputies, who tracked the suspect as he entered a nearby residence.
Unlike shown on TV, waiting for a suspect can be a slow ordeal. The best part of the video is when the children come out with their hands up (go to 02:03). Unbelievable! | Video by 619 News Media | Click on arrow to start
There were several outbuildings at the address, described as a “large property and grounds.” Deputies called for people to come out of the buildings and several people did, but the suspect remained inside, said Lt. Jason Phillips.
Because the incident was considered “high risk,” Leonhardi said, SWAT deputies and crisis negotiators were called out to try to persuade the man to give himself up.
Phillips said deputies systematically cleared buildings on the property and then used “chemical agents,” which prompted the man to surrender without incident around 3:30 a.m.
The man was arrested and was being held in county jail in lieu of $100,000 bail on suspicion of robbery and resisting an officer, according to online jail records.
Main article by Karen Kucher | February 16, 2026 | The San Diego Union-Tribune
Additions inserted by Sunnyside Common Sense and sourced.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Horse theft in Spring Valley at gunpoint? You'd only do that once in the Old West. Times have changed. And a SWAT team? That horse must have been sooo freaked out.
If they stole my horse, I'd make them keep him for a few hours. My vet and horseshoer will swear that he's the orneriest beast around these parts. Remember the O. Henry short-story "The Ransom of Red Chief"? That's my horse! The thieves would be begging me to take him back and paying me money to do so!
Must be in his DNA. He's out of "Man o' War" (known for his pranks) and my horse looks and acts like him. Watch this fascinating video to learn more about "Man o' War". He's the only racehorse I know that had a funeral and was buried in a silk-lined coffin.
Back in the day, horse thief's were hung. Times have changed. Outlaw Josey Wales