Simi Valley Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Gun To Open Door

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — A Simi Valley man was in custody Wednesday for allegedly using a firearm to open a door at his residence, police said.

Dustin Helm, 27, was arrested after police received reports of "shots fired" on May 21 at approximately 10:40 p.m. at his home in the 5900 block of Fasley Avenue, according to Simi Valley Police.

Officers were told that Helm had shot at his roommate's door in an effort to open it. The roommate, who was inside her bedroom when it happened, was able to escape the residence uninjured and called 911, police said.

When officers arrived on scene, Helm refused to cooperate when he was asked to exit his residence unarmed, according to police.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) were called in to assist officers as negotiators remained in contact with Helm through the overnight hours.

Helm voluntarily exited his residence at approximately 6:40 a.m. Wednesday and turned himself in to waiting law enforcement personnel without further incident, police said.

He was arrested and initially charged with shooting in an inhabited dwelling, but investigators said additional criminal charges may be pending.

Helm, who has been on probation since December 2012, is prohibited from possessing or owning guns after we he was convicted of firearms-related charges in Los Angeles County, police said.

According to investigators, the suspect's father, Peter Helm, transferred ownership of Dustin's firearms to himself, so Dustin would not be in possession of them following two recent arrests. Helm was charged with felony possession of prescription drugs without a prescription on May 17 and violating a criminal court order by being in possession of a firearm on May 9.

Helm's father had told law enforcement that Dustin would not be able to gain access to the firearms in the future, police said.