Four people were arrested on Sept. 30 after allegedly stealing catalytic converters across Ventura County and leading authorities in a vehicle pursuit.
Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 200 block of West Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo in response to a catalytic converter theft during the day, according to a sheriff's office news release. The agency is contracted to provide police services to the city of Camarillo.
Investigators were able to identify a vehicle believed to be involved in the thefts using surveillance footage from the area, the sheriff’s office said. Combined with automatic license plate reader cameras, deputies found the vehicle in Oxnard, sheriff’s officials said.
Investigators watched the vehicle,
followed it from Oxnard to Ventura and attempted to stop the vehicle. When the driver did not pull over, deputies started a pursuit.
The chase ended when the driver crashed the vehicle into a fence as he attempted to exit the freeway.
Four people in the vehicle were arrested on suspicion of several offenses, including grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, the sheriff’s office said.
A search of the crashed vehicle found two stolen catalytic converters, according to the sheriff's office. Detectives also searched a motel room in Camarillo occupied by one of the people arrested and found an additional catalytic converter.
All four were booked into Ventura County jail. A 35-year-old Los Angeles man and a 35-year-old Fontana man were released on bail the next day, jail records show. A 31-year-old Bloomington woman and a 40-year-old Rialto woman were released without bail on Oct. 2, records show.
The men are scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 15.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Catalytic converter thefts across Ventura County lead to 4 arrests
