What to Know
- Anthony Rauda, 42, was arrested after a series of burglaries in a rural part of Calabasas
- His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9
- Detectives are also investigating whether Rauda could be responsible for a series of seemingly-random shootings
The man arrested after a series of burglaries in a rural part of Calabasas, not far from Malibu Creek State Park, failed to appear for a violation hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Thursday morning.
At an afternoon hearing Anthony Rauda then began yelling and banging on a holding cell window after the judge refused to remove the public defender’s office as Rauda’s attorney of record.
"Excuse me, your honor, I'd like to speak," Rauda, 42, said.
When the judge refused to hear the statement and advised Rauda to, "speak through his attorney," Rauda began yelling. "I'm not going to cooperate with the public defender's office!" he said, before swearing at the officials in the courtroom.
The hearing was closed as Rauda began banging on the holding cell window, according to the NBC4 photographer who attended the hearing.
Thursday's hearing had been scheduled to address Rauda's alleged violation of the terms of his post release conviction supervision as a result of Rauda's arrest last month and officials were expected to request he be held in jail with no bail for 180 additional days.
Rauda is accused of failing to report to the PRCS office and of being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, according to court records. The violation hearing has now been rescheduled for later this month. Rauda is being held in jail without bail and no new criminal charges have been filed, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office.
Rauda was caught by LA County Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau detectives in a wilderness area north of the park Oct. 10 after a series of unusual early-morning break-ins, during which an armed, masked burglar stole food from a number of buildings in the area. Major Crimes and Sheriff's Homicide Bureau detectives are also investigating whether Rauda could be responsible for a series of seemingly-random shootings in the same area over the last two years, including the killing of a camper in June.
Tristan Beaudette was shot to death at the park while he slept next to his 2- and 4-year-old daughters in a closed tent. Rauda was armed with a long gun or rifle when he was arrested, the officials said. The armed, masked man on the security video became the focus of an intensive wilderness manhunt after an early-morning burglary September 30 at a construction office near the intersection of Las Virgenes and Mulholland Highway.
Security cameras captured video of a masked man with a rifle slung over his left shoulder prying open a window and climbing inside. NBC News obtained still images from that video that showed the burglar was wearing a battery-powered headlamp and tactical-style clothing. Investigators also told NBC4 food was stolen but valuables including cash were left behind.
The break-in was similar to several other food-thefts in the same area, authorities said, leading detectives to consider whether the burglar was hiding out somewhere in the brush-covered hills of Malibu.
The gun seen on the security video also raised questions about whether the burglar could be responsible for a some of the seemingly random shootings reported in the same area over the last year, including the killing of Beaudette, who was shot while he camped with his 2- and 4-year-old daughters at Malibu Creek State Park in June.
More than one type of gun was used in the series of shootings, the sources said, so it was not immediately clear how many - if any - incidents might be linked to the gun seen in the security video.
