The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office honored three people Thursday for courageous acts in stepping up in the face of danger and helping to keep the community safe from violent crime. Standing are (from left): Deputy District Attorney David Nary; Deputy District Attorney Tal Kahana; James Garrison, director, Bureau of Central Operations; and Deputy District Attorney Diane Hong. Seated are (from left): Courageous Citizen Award recipients Bianca Guerra, Brian Zeringue of Valencia and Latasha Gillespie. | Photo: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Thursday honored Brian Zeringue of Valencia and two other Southern California residents for courageous acts in stepping up in the face of danger to help keep our community safe from violent crime.
Zeringue came to the aid of a woman who was beaten by her boyfriend and forced to panhandle for money while her children were being held hostage at gunpoint.
The other two courageous acts honorees were Bianca Guerra, a woman whose testimony inside a Van Nuys courtroom strengthened the criminal case against a serial rapist and helped other victims secure justice; and Latasha Gillespie, a bus driver who helped stop the abduction of a girl from her mother and sister at a Lancaster bus station.
“The bravery demonstrated by these heroes reminds me that we all have the potential to step up and do what’s right,” District Attorney Lacey said. “I am proud of these remarkable individuals who helped my deputy district attorneys make our community safer by prosecuting violent crime against innocent victims.”
The honorees were recognized at a Courageous Citizen Awards ceremony hosted on Thursday by the Kiwanis Club of Northridge.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office presents these awards several times a year to people who have performed extraordinary acts of valor and selflessness in assisting in criminal prosecutions, aiding victims, preventing crimes or even capturing suspects.
Here are more details about the awards for courageous acts:
Brian Zeringue, 45, of Valencia (Case no. BA467774, presented by Deputy District Attorney Tal Kahana)
Brian Zeringue came to the aid of a woman and her children. On May 1, 2018, the children’s father, Stephen Merle Houk, beat and threatened to kill their mother, then drove them to Castaic and hours later to a Lancaster Starbucks.
Houk held the children hostage at gunpoint while he forced the woman to panhandle for gas money. Zeringue heard the woman’s quiet pleas for help and called 911, launching a 10-hour pursuit and standoff with authorities. His actions led to the safe release of the children and the man’s felony conviction.
On Aug. 19, a jury found Houk guilty of 12 felony counts, including kidnapping; injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent; and assault with a firearm, and one misdemeanor count of failure to register as a transient with a prior sex offense.
Houk was sentenced Sept. 4 to 88 years and four months in state prison. The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Bianca Guerra, 31, of San Diego (Case no. LA085808, presented by Deputy District Attorney David Nary)
When deputy district attorneys were faced with a difficult case against a serial rapist, they called upon Ms. Bianca Guerra, who years before testified against the same man, to ensure that a dangerous predator would once again be taken out of our community. Ms. Guerra took public transportation from East Los Angeles to the Van Nuys Courthouse for several days to bravely testify against the man who was convicted of raping her more than a decade earlier. Through her testimony, she helped prosecutors secure justice for the man’s victims and made our community safer by returning her assailant to state prison.
On April 23, a jury found the defendant guilty of felony counts of kidnapping to commit a sexual assault, sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape, assault with intent to commit a sexual crime and attempted forcible rape. On June 6, he was sentenced to 81 years to life in state prison. The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Latasha Gillespie, 41, of Palmdale (Case no. MA072577, presented by Deputy District Attorney Diane Hong)
Latasha Gillespie, a bus driver who was on a break, heard a woman scream and responded, helping to stop the attempted kidnapping of a girl at a Lancaster bus station on Nov. 5, 2017. Gillespie saw a woman struggling with a man, who minutes earlier had walked up to the bus stop, exchanged words with the woman and threatened to abduct her daughters. Gillespie helped rescue the girl, then shielded her and her sister from the man. Her willingness to testify in court led him to plead no contest to crimes carrying a significant prison sentence.
On Oct. 24, 2018, the defendant pleaded no contest to two felony counts each of false imprisonment and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. The defendant was sentenced Nov. 8, 2018, to 21 years and four months in state prison. The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
A 39-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl at a wedding reception in Valencia, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
A 26-year-old Winnetka man was sentenced today to 32 years in state prison for raping a woman in the parking lot of a Valencia restaurant, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
A 24-year-old Winnetka man pleaded not guilty Tuesday on rape charges. Etienne Juarez Rosas is facing four felony charges: one count of kidnapping to commit another crime, one count of forcible rape and two counts of sexual penetration by foreign object, said Sarah Ardalani, public information officer for the Los…
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Thank you all for your courageous acts and for choosing not to be indifferent when presented with a dangerous situation. Kudos on SCV for recognizing these heroes.
Yes, thank you very much for your courageous acts of unselfishness, kindness and strength…for reacting when you heard the cry for help, rather than turning a deaf ear. Very thankful!
Island Pacific Santa Clarita is gearing up for a celebration of National Lumpia Day with a lumpia-eating contest on Saturday, March 15, from 3-6:30 p.m.
In support of “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life,” the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is developing a Water Use Efficiency Strategic Plan to establish a comprehensive water conservation strategy.
The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer invites the community to join the annual "Walk 4 MHF Help Kids Fight Cancer" to help raise awareness and support local families affected by childhood cancer.
After the January wildfires, the county began a review to assess our evacuation policies and emergency alert systems. The state has also commissioned a review of our preparedness efforts, immediate response to the fires and the recovery time frame of the incident.
Island Pacific Santa Clarita is gearing up for a celebration of National Lumpia Day with a lumpia-eating contest on Saturday, March 15, from 3-6:30 p.m.
After a successful pilot program in the Saugus Union School District, School Day Café has expanded the use of a new, eco-friendly serving tray option across all Santa Clarita Valley elementary schools.
In support of “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life,” the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is developing a Water Use Efficiency Strategic Plan to establish a comprehensive water conservation strategy.
The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer invites the community to join the annual "Walk 4 MHF Help Kids Fight Cancer" to help raise awareness and support local families affected by childhood cancer.
The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society has announced that the St. Francis Dam Tour scheduled for Saturday, March 15 has been postponed until Saturday, April 26.
The city of Santa Clarita is enhancing local roadways with the upcoming 2024-2025 Citywide Major Thoroughfare Median Refurbishment Project on Plum Canyon Road.
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is preparing for the annual fundraising Celebrity Waiter Dinner to be held Saturday, April 26 at the Bella Vida Senior Center.
The Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley 16th Annual Wine Affair: Wine, Beer and Cheer Big Hat Bash will be held Sunday, April 6 on Main Street in Old Town Newhall from noon to 5 p.m.
The city of Santa Clarita's art exhibition, "Saddle Up Santa Clarita" will run through Wednesday, May 14 at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355.
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced that 10 high school seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The Master's University Theater Arts presents 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde Fridays and Saturdays, March 21-29 at The Master's University, Music Recital Hall at 24736 Quigley Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Beginning Monday, March 17, at 6 a.m., Jet will be hosting “Jet into Work,” on 88.5-FM, The SoCal Sound which will lend a fun and upbeat start to listeners’ mornings.
Safely dispose of household hazardous waste and electronic waste for free 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5 at the College of the Canyons Valencia Campus, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
The Music Center has announced 113 of Southern California’s most talented high school students have advanced in The Music Center’s 37th Annual Spotlight program, which includes three students from the Santa Clarita Valley.
The track and field teams at The Master's University began their 2025 outdoor campaign at the Occidental Spring Break Classic on Saturday, March 8. Multiple qualifiers were added and a school record fell in the men's 4x100m relay.
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo has announced the introduction of the Roads to Resilience Act, AB 1132, a piece of legislation designed to prioritize the needs of communities disproportionately impacted by climate disasters.
Opera America, a nonprofit that supports opera in the United States, recently announced the 2025 recipients of two of its prestigious distinctions: the 2025 Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and the Discovery Grants from its Opera Grants for Women Composers program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has launched a new campaign to increase awareness of the Department’s Alternative Crisis Response Program and to foster trust in the program’s Field Intervention Teams which serve as the county’s first responders for mental health crisis support.
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2 Comments
Thank you all for your courageous acts and for choosing not to be indifferent when presented with a dangerous situation. Kudos on SCV for recognizing these heroes.
Yes, thank you very much for your courageous acts of unselfishness, kindness and strength…for reacting when you heard the cry for help, rather than turning a deaf ear. Very thankful!