Crime & Safety
Warrant Issued For Banning Felon Charged In Alleged Break-In
When Muhammad Shehzad Akhtar's case was called for a pretrial hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, he was nowhere to be found.
BANNING, CA — Because he failed to make a scheduled court appearance, a warrant was issued Tuesday for a convicted felon accused of breaking into a San Jacinto man's home and threatening him.
Muhammad Shehzad Akhtar, 26, of Banning was arrested in 2021 following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the alleged break-in.
Akhtar is charged with first-degree burglary, making criminal threats and probation violations.
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He's separately charged in another case with multiple counts of arson resulting in property damage.
When Akhtar's case was called for a pretrial hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, he was nowhere to be found. Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez revoked the defendant's $135,000 bond and on Tuesday morning signed a bench warrant for his arrest.
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Akhtar's whereabouts were unknown.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Ken Hoon, on the afternoon of Dec. 5, 2021, he allegedly forced his way into a residence in the 700 block of Sweet Clover Loop, near Sanderson Avenue.
Hoon said the probationer grabbed various items inside the home, then helped himself to food in the kitchen, where the victim encountered him after returning to his property.
"The suspect threatened the victim's life and then fled the residence," the sergeant said, further alleging that Akhtar ran out carrying the items he had snatched.
The homeowner was not injured and called 911.
Deputies gathered evidence at the scene, including latent fingerprints and shoe prints, as well as security video camera images, pointing to Akhtar as the alleged perpetrator, according to Hoon.
An alert was broadcast to surrounding law enforcement agencies, and a day later, Banning police took the defendant into custody without incident.
According to court records, Akhtar has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily injury, trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The arson case stemmed from incidents in 2022 in southwest Riverside County, but no details were available.
