Crime & Safety

Suspect Evades Sheriff's Dept. in Moorpark Pursuit

The chase began on Highway 118.

The driver involved in a high-speed chase in the Moorpark area was able to elude law enforcement officials early Monday morning.

The pursuit began at 1:35 a.m. when the driver sped off during a traffic stop. 

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies had pulled the car over in the area of Highway 118 and Mira Sol Drive (just west of Gabbert Road), but as the deputies initially contacted the driver, he left the location, according to a statement by the Moorpark Police Department.

The deputies began a pursuit and were joined by a second Sheriff's unit when the driver refused to yield. Speeds reached 95 miles per hour as the cars traveled west on Highway 118, the police department's statement said.

As the driver attempted to negotiate a curve in the roadway near La Vista Road on the far side of Somis, the car collided with the guardrail and crossed the road, coming to rest on a dirt embankment, according to the police department.

As the deputies pulled up to the scene, the driver ran into a nearby orchard. Though Sheriff's deputies, a K-9 unit and helicopter conducted an extensive search, the driver remains at large and is wanted for felony evading and hit and run, the statement said.

The three passengers were extricated from the car and were treated at the scene by paramedics before being transported to the Ventura County Medical Center, according to the police department, which added no one other than the passengers were injured in the accident.

After an investigation, one passenger was arrested in association with a previous vehicle theft case.



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