Roundup: Suspect reportedly crashes into sheriff's SUV during TO pursuit, more news

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

Suspect collides with sheriff's vehicle during chase on Hwy 23

A man was arrested on suspicion of felony evading after his car allegedly crashed into a Ventura County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle during a pursuit Friday morning on northbound Highway 23 in Thousand Oaks, authorities said.

The suspect, 27, complained of pain and was briefly taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center after the arrest, said sheriff’s Capt. William Hutton. Hutton did not have the man’s hometown.

A patrol sergeant reportedly saw the man driving his Kia sedan in a suspicious manner shortly after 4 a.m. near Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Lombard Street, Hutton said.

The sergeant closed in on the car, but the suspect reportedly accelerated at high speed onto the northbound 23, launching a pursuit, Hutton said. The pursuit went on for about 6 miles.

The suspect then reportedly made a U-turn on the highway and tried to drive southbound in the northbound lanes, Hutton said. The sergeant tried to block the car’s path.

The sedan and the patrol vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, collided. The sedan ended up in the center median of the northbound highway near Sunset Hills Boulevard.

The suspect’s damaged Kia was towed from the scene. Authorities found burglary tools inside the car. The suspect was also arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor possession of burglary tools. He was booked into Ventura County jail with bail set at $50,000, jail records showed.

The sheriff’s patrol vehicle had damage on the passenger side. The highway remained open despite the crash, Hutton said.

The sheriff’s office is conducting the criminal investigation while the California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision, he said.

Jurors find guilt in brake-tampering case

Jurors found a Simi Valley man guilty of felony assault with a deadly weapon for cutting the brake line of his ex-girlfriend's car in 2020, prosecutors said.

Pedro Gonzalez Galindo, 56, was found guilty Monday in Ventura County Superior Court. Jurors also found he was guilty of misdemeanor vandalism. Galindo admitted to the special allegations that the crime involved great violence and he engaged in violent conduct that posed a serious danger, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.

In October 2020, Galindo severed the brake line of his former girlfriend's car while it was parked in a Ventura parking structure, prosecutors said. The woman noticed yellow liquid near one of the tires when she returned several hours later. She also noticed the brakes weren't responding normally.

Ventura Police Department investigators looked through surveillance video, witness statements and 140 "invasive" texts Galindo sent to the woman, prosecutors said, then secured physical evidence with a warrant search.

Deputy DA Stephanie Horlick, a member of the DA's domestic violence unit who prosecuted the case, said in a statement the defendant would be held accountable for "placing the victim and the public in serious danger."

Sentencing is scheduled for the morning of July 20 in courtroom 25. Galindo remains in county jail custody without bail.

Oxnard police seize 100 pounds of fireworks

Authorities seized about 100 pounds of illegal fireworks during a warrant search Thursday afternoon, the Oxnard Police Department reported.

Officers with the department's neighborhood policing team served the warrant around 1:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Monet Court. The site is in a residential neighborhood northwest of the intersection of South Rose Avenue and Bard Road.

The search had been prompted by information about possible sales of illegal and dangerous fireworks, authorities said. Slightly more than 100 pounds of such fireworks were found, according to police.

The stash included mortar fireworks that shoot into the air and explode, officials said. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of possessing dangerous fireworks.

All fireworks, even so-called safe-and-sane varieties, are illegal in Oxnard, police officials said. Citations carry a fine up to $1,000.

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, law enforcement agencies around Ventura County are reminding residents that fireworks aren't allowed anywhere except in the city of Fillmore, where safe-and-sane fireworks are sold leading up to the holiday.

Oxnard residents can report fireworks on the city's fireworks cell phone line at 805-307-6308, the police department's fireworks hotline at 805-394-5884 or via email at fireworks@oxnardpd.org. Be sure to have the address or intersection and other details. Residents are asked not to use 911 to report fireworks.

Items may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Sheriff's patrol vehicle hit during TO pursuit, more news