Roundup: Crash into Silver Strand market launches watery pursuit, more news

Staff reports
Updated ·4 min read

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

A helicopter view of the mouth of Channel Islands Harbor with the Silver Strand community, at right. A man reportedly tried to flee authorities by swimming through the harbor after crashing his car into a Silver Strand market Tuesday night.
A helicopter view of the mouth of Channel Islands Harbor with the Silver Strand community, at right. A man reportedly tried to flee authorities by swimming through the harbor after crashing his car into a Silver Strand market Tuesday night.

Watery pursuit into harbor ends with DUI arrest

An Oxnard man was arrested after allegedly crashing into a market in the Silver Strand area Tuesday night, fleeing on foot and jumping into the nearby harbor where he was cornered by patrol boats as multiple law enforcement agencies responded.

Shortly before 11 p.m., the 31-year-old was driving his 2009 Infinity G37 near Roosevelt Boulevard and Anacapa Avenue in the unincorporated Silver Strand community outside Oxnard, the California Highway Patrol reported. The man lost control of the car and crashed into the Corner Market at 2425 Roosevelt Blvd., authorities said.

Two Oxnard men who worked at the market, age 20 and 21, as well as a 15-year-old male in the store, were struck. They suffered moderate injuries, CHP officials said, and were taken to area hospitals.

The suspect fled on foot toward nearby Kiddie Beach Park, then jumped into the water at Channel Islands Harbor, where he continued to swim through the harbor, authorities said.

CHP officers were joined by personnel from the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and the Ventura County Harbor Patrol.

The harbor patrol deployed two boats, each carrying law enforcement personnel. The patrol boats followed the suspect as he swam to a dock while trying to flee, according to the CHP account.

The boats cornered the man along a dock to prevent his escape. He was then lifted out of the water by "multiple" law enforcement personnel, officials said, before being taken into custody by the CHP.

The man was treated for moderate injuries at Ventura County Medical Center. He was arrested on suspicion of a felony alcohol-related DUI causing injury, hit-and-run causing injury and resisting.

The crash remains under investigation by the CHP's Ventura-area office. Witnesses are asked to call the agency at 805-662-2640.

Possible bear sighting in Newbury Park

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies responded to multiple calls about a bear spotted in an industrial area of Newbury Park Thursday night, officials said.

Calls came in shortly after 7:40 p.m. about a bear near Turquoise Circle and Tourmaline Drive, said sheriff's Capt. Greg Gibson.

As of 8:40 p.m., deputies had not caught sight of the bear, he said. Sheriff's deputies have seen bears recently in during a Moorpark call and while assisting with a report in Simi Valley, Gibson said.

String of carjackings, pursuit end in Thousand Oaks

A 32-year-old Ventura man sparked a significant pursuit across county lines Wednesday, with three alleged carjackings along the way, before being taken into custody at gunpoint in Thousand Oaks.

The incident started around 9:00 a.m. in Ventura, when a carjacking was reported at a gas station at Telegraph and Mills roads. The owner of a Dodge Caravan had left the keys in the car when it was taken, said Ventura Police Department Cmdr. Rick Murray.

The suspect fled onto southbound Highway 101, where California Highway Patrol officers spotted the stolen vehicle and initiated a pursuit, Murray said.

Los Angeles Police Department officers took over the chase for several hours as the driver moved along mostly surface streets in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere for a time. CHP officials say the suspect committed two more carjackings in Los Angeles.

At around 2 p.m., officers with the CHP's West Valley division took over the pursuit on the northbound 101 at Woodlake Boulevard. Speeds exceeded 90 mph at times.

The driver pulled off on the Moorpark Road offramp in Thousand Oaks, crossed Moorpark Road, then tried to get back on the northbound freeway using the onramp, according to the CHP account.

CHP officers boxed in the suspect as he tried to turn around. He intentionally backed into one of the patrol units but was rammed by two other CHP vehicles, on the front and side, ending the pursuit.

Helicopter footage of the incident captured by LA-area television news crews showed the suspect surrendering at gunpoint. He was taken into custody without further incident, CHP officials said, and was medically evaluated at the scene by Ventura County firefighters before being booked into jail.

The man was subsequently charged by prosecutors with multiple felonies, including carjacking, assault on an officer and evading. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon in Ventura County Superior Court. The man remained in Ventura County jail Saturday and was not eligible for release, jail records showed.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Crash into Silver Strand market launches watery pursuit, more