A Castaic man accused of attempted murder after he allegedly beat another man in the head with a miniature baseball bat will be back in court in June to face charges.

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Ronald Holt, 45, of Castaic, is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of a $1 million bail.

Holt is accused of assaulting a Sunland man named Lance Love on March 17.

Witnesses said Holt was refused service at The Sundown Bar at the 7800 block of Foothill Boulevard in Sunland, because he was drunk, according to Detective Anthony Stephenson of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“He turned to the victim (who was inside the bar) and said, ‘Hey Lance, you know me, tell them I’m OK,’” Stephenson said.

When Love refused to get involved, Holt left the bar, came back and struck Love twice with a miniature baseball bat, Stephenson said.

“He hit the suspect twice and knocked the victim out of his (motorized) wheelchair and knocked the wheelchair over with (the victim),” he said.

Holt was wearing a Vagos Tshirt when he was arrested, which is associated with a known motorcycle gang, but Stephenson said he could not confirm with documented evidence that Holt was a member of the gang.

Holt did have a criminal record, Stephenson said, and confirmed that Holt has served two separate sentences in state prisons.

Stephenson said his criminal record was the reason why Holt’s bail was so high.

Holt was arrested March 19, after a brief “low-speed” pursuit of his green Mazda on Interstate 5, south of HIghway 14, where he was pulled over.

A gang unit with the Los Angeles Police Department coordinated with Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies on surveillance of Holt’s Castaic home off Ridge Route Road, Stephenson said.
Love is recovering and communicating with family members, Stephenson said.

The victim later claimed to not know Holt; however, records showed that at one point, the two lived within a block of each other, Stephenson said.

The case is being prosecuted by Ruby Arias of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

When Holt re-appears in June, a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to substantiate the charges, according to a court official.

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