Local cops' cooperation helps halt crime spree, police say

Authorities say the arrests of six teenagers after a Santa Paula carjacking resulted from a multi-agency effort that helped bust up a crime spree by gang members.

It all started with a carjacking that was reported at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday in front of Santa Paula High School, 404 N. Sixth St. 

Two students reported their Chevrolet Silverado had been stolen after they parked it in front of the school, police said.  

The thieves were a male from 17 to 20 years old with slicked-back, black hair and a female between 14 and 17 years old with short red hair, police said. 

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The male allegedly threatened the students with a small gun, police said. 

At about 3 p.m., Santa Paula police received information from the Ventura Police Department that the stolen vehicle had been spotted leaving a shopping center in Ventura after a girl was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, according to authorities. She was later identified as one of the two people involved in the carjacking, police said. 

At about 3:30 p.m., Santa Paula police learned that the stolen truck had been involved in a traffic accident on Highway 126 at Pyle Road in the Fillmore area, according to authorities. Four male juveniles and a female juvenile were arrested by sheriff's deputies after they fled on foot, Santa Paula police reported.

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One of the males was later identified as being involved in the carjacking, Santa Paula police said. The Santa Paula police K-9 unit searched the area and found a loaded firearm fitting the description of the gun used during the carjacking, according to police.

Santa Paula police said they suspect that the six juveniles — all residents of Santa Paula or Fillmore — were gang members involved in a countywide crime spree that spanned Santa Paula, Oxnard and Ventura. The crimes included armed robberies, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a loaded firearm and attempted theft, police reported.

The pair suspected in the carjacking were booked into juvenile hall, according to Santa Paula police.

“This effort is a perfect example of local law enforcement agencies working together to share intelligence in order to solve a variety of crimes,” Santa Paula Police Chief Steve McLean said in a statement.