31-year-old Gilbert Antonio Villalba of Los Angeles was charged with three felonies after allegedly attempting to grab a Brea police officer’s gun and taser and assaulting the officer during his arrest in La Habra on Feb. 2.
Villalba, who is described as having a “long criminal history,” was charged with three felonies based on battery on an officer, resisting and deterring an officer and attempted firearm removal from an officer.
A Brea police officer reportedly caught sight of a blue Hyundai Elantra affiliated with Villalba, who was identified as having an outstanding felony warrant based on a previous Brea police arrest on Feb. 2.
Villalba was pulled over by an officer in the parking lot of a Home Depot on Harbor Blvd. in La Habra. Villalba, who was wearing a tactical camouflage military vest, proceeded to exit the vehicle and attempt to flee. The officer tracked Villalba and returned to his vehicle, where his girlfriend had left and was standing next to it.
The officer aggressively seized Villalba in an attempt to prevent him from entering his vehicle, but was knocked off balance by the suspect. Villalba is accused of seizing the officer’s gun, tearing the holster from its base plate and hanging the holster upside down during the altercation. Villaba is accused of repeatedly snatching the officer’s gun from its holster in an attempt to remove it, putting the life of an officer at risk. The officer and Villalba were both unharmed in the incident.
Villalba is also being accused of continuously requesting that his girlfriend grab the weapon from the officer’s holster, but she refused.
Police are also searching for the bystander who intervened to help the officer get Villalba into custody. Unfortunately, the man had left the scene before officers were unable to get his name.
“We don’t know who the guy is, he left before we could get his name,” Brea police Lt. Chris Harvey said. “We’d really like to talk to him and recognize him for what he did.”
Villalba has a history of second-degree robbery and a felony conviction for making an improvised weapon, as well as a prior strike conviction under California’s three strikes legislation.
“Here in Orange County, we do not tolerate violence of any kind and we support our police officers. If you attack a police officer, we are going to throw the book at you,” OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Deputy District Attorney Dustin Chupurdy of the Crimes Against Peace Officers’ Unit is prosecuting the case.
“Violent assaults against police officers are on the rise across the country with 36 percent more police officers killed in gunfire last year compared to 2020,” Spitzer said. “Traffic stops are especially dangerous for officers because they never know what kind of situation they are walking into.”
Villalba was arraigned in Orange County Central Men’s Jail on Feb 4. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in prison.
Kayode Giwa is a City News Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. He can be reached at kgiwa@uci.edu.