Stolen-vehicle pursuit ends near Santa Paula

The driver of a stolen vehicle was taken into custody Saturday night after a nearly two-hour pursuit from Ventura to the Santa Paula area, authorities said.

The chase started at 9:36 p.m. when a Ventura police officer was alerted to a possible stolen car through a vehicle-tracking device, Ventura police said.

The officer got the notification near Pacific View mall, 3301 E. Main St., but spotted the vehicle near Highway 101 and California Street, authorities said. The officer tried to conduct a traffic stop and when the car did not yield, the chase began, officials said.

Ventura police chased the vehicle north on Highway 101, authorities said. When it started traveling toward Ojai on northbound Highway 33, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office picked up the pursuit, police said. However, a Ventura police K-9 unit was still involved in the effort.

The chase ended about 11:10 p.m. in the area of Steckel Park near Santa Paula and the driver, described only as a man, was taken into custody. The Ventura police K-9 was used during the arrest, but it appears the man was not bitten, officials said.

Earlier in the night, Oxnard police initiated a vehicle pursuit about 9:20 p.m. It ended near North Ventura and West Gonzales roads after the occupants abandoned the vehicle, officials said. Oxnard police said officers were unable to search for them because they did not get a good look at the occupants before they fled on foot.