Elderly Man Charged With Alleged Police Impersonation, Home Invasion, is Identified

An elderly man was arraigned on several felony charges Tuesday after he was arrested over the weekend for allegedly posing as a police officer and forcing his way into a home in the gated community of Hidden Hills, authorities said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a phone call at about 9:40 a.m. on Sunday in the 24600 block of Long Valley Road near Round Meadow, said Lt. James Wiard.

When the deputies arrived, they arrested 75-year-old Chatsworth resident Ronald Snyder, a former Hidden Hills homeowner that still could have had access to the gated community, Wiard said

The suspect reportedly forced his way into the home at gunpoint after a woman answered the door, he said.

The woman’s son, a man in his 20's, was hiding upstairs and called 911, Wiard said.

He said when police arrived, Snyder attempted to draw his gun, but deputies were able to bring him under control and arrested him without incident.

The suspect is also a business owner, according to a press release from the sheriff's department. His alleged motive for committing the crime was recent financial downturn.

After searching Snyder's car, deputies found false law enforcement identification, handcuffs, a wig, gloves, rope, and two handguns, including one with a silencer, according to the sheriff's department statement.

Deputies also found additional firearms after executing a search warrant at the suspect's Chatsworth home and business.

Snyder was arraigned at Los Angeles Superior Court, Van Nuys Division. He was charged with robbery, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and impersonating a peace officer.

He's being held in lieu of $1 million. 

--Northridge-Chatsworth Patch Editor Arin Mikailian contributed to this report.