Officers responded at 9:31 p.m. to reports of a family member acting erratically and frightening household members, Cuellar said.
According to Cuellar, the homeowner told police his 47-year-old son, identified as Odilon Villegas, suffers from an unknown mental condition, may use illegal drugs, and had previously been violent. The family requested police assistance out of fear for their safety.
When officers attempted to contact Villegas, he warned them not to approach or he would hurt them, Cuellar said. He was holding a glass containing liquid and a lighter. Villegas then threw the liquid at two officers, striking one in the face and another on the upper body. Officers reported the substance smelled like rubbing alcohol.
Villegas fled briefly but returned, flicking the lighter and threatening in Spanish to ignite an officer, Cuellar said.
An officer deployed a Taser, which subdued Villegas temporarily. As officers moved to detain him, Villegas punched one officer, attempted to strangle him, and continued resisting until he was handcuffed and restrained using a device known as “the wrap,” Cuellar said.
Villegas was taken to a hospital for evaluation following the Taser deployment, then booked into Pasadena jail on suspicion of attempted murder, Cuellar said.
Officers sustained minor injuries, including an abrasion to one officer’s cheek and irritation to another’s eye from the liquid. No major injuries were reported.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
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