Roundup: Fugitive allegedly rams detective vehicles during arrest, more news

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

Fugitive allegedly rams law enforcement vehicles

A fugitive sought by Ventura County authorities since 2022 was arrested Thursday in Woodland Hills, where he allegedly rammed two detective vehicles before being taken into custody with use of force.

George "Rand" Akrey, 38, of Woodland Hills, had been on the run since April 2022, when he failed to appear for a sentencing hearing on 21 felony counts of grand theft, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Friday. Five felony arrest warrants, along with a misdemeanor warrant, were subsequently issued.

In May 2022, sheriff's detectives from the Moorpark station found Akrey in a remote part of Lancaster in Los Angeles County. As authorities tried to apprehend him, Akrey allegedly rammed a detective vehicle with a large truck, seriously injuring the detective, authorities said. He escaped, resulting in a new arrest warrant out of LA County for assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

Detectives learned Akrey used a series of false and stolen identities over the following year. He used fake IDs, changed his hair style and color and grew or shaved facial hair as he swapped personas. Investigators also learned his girlfriend, a 30-year-old Woodland Hills woman, was actively hiding him from law enforcement, according to the sheriff's account.

On Thursday at around 12:20 p.m., detectives from the sheriff's Thousand Oaks station found Akrey in Woodland Hills along a commercial section of Ventura Boulevard.

During the arrest, Akrey used his vehicle to ram two detective cars, sheriff's officials said, prompting the use of force to take him into custody. Authorities used a series of so-called "less lethal" options to remove Akrey from the driver's seat. Such tactics can include Taser stun guns or bean bag rounds, among others.

Akrey was arrested for the outstanding warrants. Possible charges stemming from Thursday's alleged assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer were submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Akrey remained in Ventura County's main jail Saturday without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 19.

Akrey's girlfriend was arrested in Simi Valley Thursday afternoon on suspicion of felony concealment. She remained at the Todd Road Jail facility outside Santa Paula on Saturday with bail set at $10,000.

Arrest made in fatal TO hit-and-run

Authorities have arrested a 51-year-old Thousand Oaks woman in connection with a hit-and-run collision that killed a pedestrian in December.

The incident was reported shortly after 6 a.m. on Dec. 9 when multiple 911 callers reported a man running in and out of traffic at the intersection of Windsor Drive and East Janss Road in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Callers said the man had tried to open vehicle doors. One caller told dispatchers he hopped into a truck bed and jumped back out.

The man, later identified as Robert Quiroz Jr., 31, of Thousand Oaks, was reportedly struck by a vehicle traveling westbound on Janss. The driver fled, continuing on Janss before turning northbound onto Montgomery Road.

Quiroz died at the the scene, where officers found him on the north sidewalk. The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death was blunt force head injuries and the manner was accidental.

Sheriff's officials had asked for the public's help as they sought to identify the driver. Thousand Oaks traffic bureau investigators eventually determined the color, make and model of a possible suspect vehicle.

On Dec. 31, a traffic bureau officer found the suspect vehicle in Thousand Oaks, sheriff's officials said in a news release Friday. Evidence reportedly tied the vehicle to the crime. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death. She was booked into county jail and subsequently released, jail records show, with a court date set for Jan. 12.

Sheriff's officials attributed the successful investigation to the cooperation and participation of more than 40 residents. They also reminded drivers to remain at the scene of any crash that causes injury or death.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Fugitive rams detective vehicles during arrest, more news