Roundup: Shoplifting call launches dramatic pursuit into LA, more news

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:

Shoplifting call launches dramatic pursuit into LA

A shoplifting suspect who allegedly rammed a sheriff's vehicle in Camarillo Friday afternoon led authorities on a pursuit into Los Angeles, trailed by law enforcement and TV helicopters, before he and a passenger were apprehended in Gardena.

Deputies had responded to a reported shoplifting at the Camarillo Target store at 209 W. Ventura Blvd. shortly before 4:30 p.m., said Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Nick Odenath. A loss prevention officer at the store had provided a description of a male suspect who left with stolen merchandise and was seen getting into a yellow Ford Mustang.

Deputies and detectives in the area attempted a traffic stop down the street from the Target, Odenath said. The driver allegedly rammed into one of the sheriff's vehicles as he escaped.

The driver fled, launching a pursuit onto southbound Highway 101. The driver was later identified as a 23-year-old. A male passenger, 31, was also in the Mustang.

A sheriff's helicopter provided support from above as the brightly colored car continued southbound through Thousand Oaks, where patrol deputies assisted. The sheriff's office is contracted to provide police services in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks.

The chase made its way into the San Fernando Valley, Odenath said. Sheriff's radio traffic from the scene indicated the driver pulled off the freeway for a time in the Calabasas area, where some items may have been thrown from the car.

As the chase forged down the 101 and onto Interstate 405, sometimes at high speeds, the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol took control of the effort, the captain said.

The chase was broadcast live with detailed traffic narration by a television helicopter crew from ABC7 in Los Angeles. KTTV's Fox 11 helicopter crew also shot footage.

Law enforcement helicopters kept tabs on the yellow Mustang as the driver switched between freeways and surface streets, with the overhead pursuit passing from Ventura County's copter to Los Angeles police and LA County sheriff's units.

The chase eventually ended along Highway 91 in Gardena, Odenath said, where both men were taken into custody by the CHP. Ventura County deputies brought the men back to the main jail in Ventura. Their cities of residence weren't immediately available.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of felony assault on a peace officer, felony evading, organized retail theft and conspiracy, jail records show, and was being held Saturday in lieu of $250,000 bail.

The passenger was arrested on suspicion of organized retail theft and conspiracy, with bail set at $150,000. Both are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.

The estimated cost of stolen merchandise wasn't available Saturday. Some items may have been thrown from the vehicle, Odenath said, and there may have been merchandise taken from other businesses. The incident remains under investigation.

Burglary crew apprehended in Thousand Oaks

An alleged residential burglary crew associated with three incidents in Thousand Oaks Friday was taken into custody after a caller reported masked individuals in a backyard.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office was notified of the activity shortly after 3 p.m., when a Newbury Park homeowner on West Ballina Court saw video showing three suspects with face masks in the backyard of the property, said Capt. Nick Odenath. The sheriff's office is contracted for police services in Thousand Oaks.

Patrol deputies and detectives who were in the area investigating a prior residential burglary saw the suspect vehicle leaving and pulled it over, detaining the driver.

Additional callers on neighboring streets reported suspects running through backyards, Odenath said. Authorities took two additional suspects into custody. All three were believed to be Colombian nationals, the captain said.

Sheriff's officials believe the same three are connected to a burglary and an attempted burglary in the same area Friday, Odenath said. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and booked into county jail.

A residential burglary was reported in Camarillo Wednesday night, when suspects reportedly stacked up backyard furniture and smashed an upstairs sliding glass door to steal a safe from a bedroom, sheriff's officials said. No suspects had been arrested in that case as of Saturday morning, Odenath said, and it wasn't known whether the incident was linked to the suspects arrested Friday.

In August, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff and District Attorney Erik Nasarenko took part announcing a major bust in a federal "crime tourism" case involving sophisticated residential burglary crews operating for years in the region, including Thousand Oaks and other parts of Ventura County. The operation employed suspects from Chile and other countries visiting the U.S. on short-term tourist visas. The crews typically targeted homes that backed up to open space and broke sliding glass doors to get in, authorities said at a press conference in Los Angeles when the indictment was unsealed.

Authorities don't yet know whether the recent Camarillo and Thousand Oaks burglaries are linked to such an operation, Odenath said.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Shoplifting call launches dramatic pursuit into LA, more news