Roundup: 'Suspicious' death near Point Mugu base, teen had gun at football game, more

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

Death near Point Mugu base deemed suspicious

Firefighters pulled a man's body from the ocean near Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu Saturday afternoon in a death that was later deemed suspicious.

The incident was reported around 1 p.m. as a possible water rescue, with units staging on a sandy stretch along Beach Road at the south end of the base, according to Ventura County Fire Department dispatch reports.

Federal firefighters from the base responded along with Oxnard Fire Department crews. Firefighters said the person was face down in the water and had been so for at least 20 minutes, according to radio traffic from the scene.

The victim was about 15-20 feet offshore, said Oxnard Fire Battalion Chief Mike McCaslin. Oxnard crews helped federal firefighters pull the person onto the beach, where he was soon pronounced dead.

McCaslin said the victim appeared to be a white man in his mid-40s or thereabouts. The body had initially been discovered by a recreational camper at the beach, he said.

McCaslin said there was no surfboard, scuba gear or boat seen in the immediate area and no immediate indication where the body had come from. The scene was initially handed over to military police and investigators at the base.

Ventura County Sheriff's personnel were later called in, said Capt. Ryan Clark. The death appeared suspicious, he said. The agency's major crimes investigators took over to lead the investigation. More information may be released Sunday, Clark said.

Teen with firearm arrested at football game

A 15-year-old allegedly carrying a loaded gun was arrested at the Royal High School campus during a football game Friday night, the Simi Valley Police Department reported.

Officers who had been working the game played against visiting Birmingham were alerted shortly before 9 p.m. to several juveniles "who appeared to be involved in nefarious activities on campus," the department said in a news release.

When officers detained the group, a Simi Valley 15-year-old reportedly had a loaded 9 mm handgun with a 15-round magazine in his waistband, authorities said. Additional rounds were found in his backpack.

No additional details were available Saturday about the circumstances of the incident.

The teen was arrested and booked into the county's juvenile hall facility, police said. Birmingham won the game 60-0.

Brush fire takes off in Santa Barbara County

A brush fire near New Cuyama in northern Santa Barbara County closed Highway 166 and prompted evacuations Saturday.

The so-called Plant Fire, which was reported around 1:20 p.m., had grown to an estimated 5,500 acres as of 5:20 p.m., according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. A unified command was in place with the Santa Barbara County and Los Padres National Forest fire agencies. The fire was about 5 miles west of New Cuyama, officials said.

The rural area is along Santa Barbara County's north edge. Highway 166, which runs roughly along the county line and connects motorists from Highway 101 to Interstate 5 in the Central Valley, was closed from the 101 to New Cuyama, according to county fire officials.

Evacuation orders had been expanded in the area between Aliso Canyon and Cottonwood Canyon roads, on the south side of the 166, a tweet from Santa Barbara County Fire's Scott Safechuck said.

Temperatures in the area were about 84-88 degrees, with relative humidity around 30-35% and wind gusts up to 22 mph, the National Weather Service reported around 5 p.m.

As of Tuesday, the fire, ultimately mapped at 5,464 acres, was 75% contained and had destroyed eight outbuildings, fire officials said. The cause remained under investigation.

Alleged pickpocket, skimming crew arrested in Simi

Three men who allegedly targeted people in self-checkout lines at grocery stores in a pickpocketing and identity theft scheme were arrested by Simi Valley Police Department officers Wednesday.

Patrol officers alerted detectives about a possible pickpocket/skimming crew at work near Erringer Road and Cochran Street in the early afternoon, when officers took two reports of credit card thefts. Officers and detectives then conducted surveillance and saw three men get out of a vehicle near the 7-Eleven at 1850 Cochran St. The vehicle, which had no front plate, backed in and appeared to linger. The men walked across the street to the Vons on Erringer.

At Vons, detectives watched the three allegedly work together to get PIN numbers from elderly shoppers, according to the police account. The men followed an older couple out of the store, police said, but retreated and walked back to their vehicle.

Officers conducted a traffic stop for the missing license plate and were reportedly able to associate the three subjects with "numerous" pickpocket and identity theft incidents in the city reported over several months. A search of the vehicle uncovered ATM skimming devices and related gear, clothing from other alleged crimes and more than $10,000 cash, the department said in a news release.

Such crews typically hover around self-checkout lines in grocery and retail stores where they watch as customers enter PIN numbers. The crews then often use a ruse to distract the victim, such as pretending to find money dropped by the victim, while an associate steals items from the victim's pockets or purse. The crews often target elderly shoppers, according to police. With a victim's PIN number, the crews can get cash or merchandise with stolen cards.

The three suspects, age 36, 42 and 45, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, elder abuse, identity theft and other crimes and booked into county jail.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Body found near Pt. Mugu base, teen had gun at football game