Ventura man armed with knife caught with help from police dog

VENTURA, Calif. - An armed man was arrested by Ventura police Tuesday morning.

After a chase, Ventura police officers unleashed a police dog on 19-year-old Daniel Vargas who was armed with a knife.

At around 10:45 a.m., 911 received a hang-up call from a woman at a house on the 200 block of Burl Avenue. The woman called back and told dispatchers she was involved in a physical altercation with her boyfriend, later identified as Daniel Vargas.

When officers arrived at the house, Vargas was inside the home, refusing to cooperate with the officers on the scene. Police say, he then told them he was armed with a knife.

As officers continued to negotiate, they discovered Vargas had left the home and was running away from the area.

Ventura police motor officers helped with the search and found Vargas on the bike path near the Community Park on Kimball Road. Vargas was still armed with the knife and threatened officers as he ran onto Highway 126.

At one point, Vargas raised the knife (pictured above) up while coming towards the officers, threatening to hurt them if they didn't shoot him. Officers ordered Vargas to drop the knife, but when he didn't obey their commands, they used a taser.

The taser didn't stop Vargas, who was continuing to come towards the officers, police say. Police released police dog Bolt on Vargas, who was then taken into custody without further incident.

Vargas was treated at the hospital for his injuries. After given the all-clear by doctors, Vargas was arrested for attempted murder, felony domestic violence, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, and felony resisting arrest.

The woman received non-life threatening injuries because of the apparent assault and was treated for those injuries.

No officers or the police dog were injured.