Freed Felon Allegedly Attacks At Target

Police officers walking past caution tape at a crime scene

A repeat offender walked out of a California jail and, just two days later, allegedly tried to choke a woman to death in a Target checkout line while families watched in horror.

Story Snapshot

A 34-year-old man allegedly walked into a Simi Valley Target and randomly choked a woman at checkout.
Cellphone video shows shoppers fighting him off as he throws rescuers aside and the store is evacuated.
Police say the suspect was released from custody just two days earlier despite a long arrest record.
The case raises hard questions about soft-on-crime policies, public safety, and the right to self-defense.

What Happened Inside That Simi Valley Target

On a Wednesday evening in Simi Valley, California, a normal Target run turned into chaos when a 34-year-old local man, identified as Rejean Tabor, walked into the store on Tierra Rejada Road and headed toward the checkout area.^[1] Police say that moments after entering, he went straight to a woman standing at a register and wrapped his hands around her neck, choking her without any warning or known connection between them.^[1] Shoppers nearby began screaming for help as the assault continued.^[2]

Cellphone video taken by a teenage shopper shows the woman limp as Tabor appears to choke her while others rush in, including a woman who jumps on his back to try to break his grip.^[5] The attacker violently throws rescuers off as several men then wrestle with him in a desperate struggle to free the victim and stop the assault.^[5] Witnesses later said the woman looked “almost lifeless” before good Samaritans managed to pull him away and drag him toward another part of the store.^[2]

Good Samaritans, Injured Teens, And A Store Evacuated

According to police and local reporting, once bystanders pulled Tabor off the victim, he did not calm down but instead turned his rage on those who stepped in, including a 16-year-old boy who tried to help.^[1] Several people, including at least one minor, suffered minor injuries as they struggled with the suspect and tried to hold him until officers could arrive.^[1] As the fight spread through the aisles, Target employees began an emergency evacuation to get shoppers and families outside to safety.^[1]

Officers from Simi Valley Police Department arrived within minutes to a scene of scattered merchandise, shaken customers, and staff trying to clear the building.^[1] They found Tabor in the grocery section reportedly throwing items and acting aggressively but say he surrendered without further physical resistance once confronted by police.^[1] The woman who was first attacked was taken to a nearby hospital by family friends; she was reported in stable condition and recovering after the choking.^[1] Her quick rescue likely kept this from becoming a homicide.

A Repeat Offender Out Of Jail Two Days Earlier

For many residents, the most alarming detail is what came next: officials and news outlets reported that Tabor had been released from custody just two days before this attack after a March arrest for indecent exposure and assaulting a police officer.^[2] Separate documents and social posts claim he has been arrested at least six times in the last two years, painting a picture of a repeat offender circling through the system instead of being kept away from the public.^[13] Yet so far, probation and jail officials have stayed silent about why he was back on the street.

Police booked Tabor into Ventura County Main Jail on serious counts including attempted murder, burglary, assault, battery, and causing unnecessary suffering to a minor.^[1] Those charges reflect the random nature of the assault, the injuries to the teen who intervened, and the chaos that forced a big-box store to empty out on a weeknight.^[1] Still, there has been no public release of toxicology results or a psychological evaluation, so questions about his mental state or drug use remain unanswered.^[1] That silence adds to public anger over why clear warning signs did not lead to stronger action sooner.

Soft-On-Crime Policies And The Right To Self-Defense

This case hits a nerve because it fits a pattern many Americans now know too well: a known offender with a long record walks free, and ordinary people pay the price. California’s mix of lowered penalties, quick releases, and crowded jails has already turned many once-safe places into risk zones, and now even a Target checkout line in a quiet suburb is the setting for an alleged attempted murder.^[3] Shoppers did what government failed to do: they stepped in, risked their own safety, and protected a stranger from deadly harm.^[5]

Cellphone video taken Wednesday evening at a Target store in Simi Valley Los Angeles shows a man randomly attacking a woman while she was shopping, and then the good Samaritans who jumped in to help her and stop the man.

Police ultimately arrived at the store, arresting the… pic.twitter.com/ye3MOHw3K6

— Mike Netter (@nettermike) June 19, 2026

For conservatives, the lesson is clear. When leaders and prosecutors treat crime like a paperwork problem instead of a threat to families, violent people slip through and strike again. When law-abiding citizens are discouraged from carrying tools of self-defense and told to rely only on the state, they are left to fight bare-handed in grocery aisles while waiting for sirens. This Simi Valley attack is not just a shocking video; it is a warning about what happens when public safety and accountability give way to excuses and release-first policies.^[12]