The four people who were pursued by authorities in a chase that began in Ventura County and ended in Van Nuys on Wednesday were part of an organized group of residential burglars, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced.
VCSO deputies learned on Wednesday that a crew of thieves from South American were in Camarillo to commit a residential burglary, and shortly after 7 p.m., they received a 911 call from a home in the 800 block of Corte La Cienega, Camarillo, the VCSO announced in a press release.
In Camarillo, VCSO deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the white sedan “failed to yield, and a prolonged vehicle pursuit ensued,” the VCSO said.
The pursuit ultimately involved the Los Angeles Police Department, which deployed a helicopter and stayed with the alleged burglars until they fled the car on foot as it pulled onto Gaviota Avenue near Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys, the VCSO said.
Two of the suspects were arrested in the 15000 block of Victory Boulevard, the Sheriff’s Department said.
The two suspects who were arrested, 33-year-old Lorenzo Galvez Valdivieso and 18-year-old Enrico Francesco Martinez, are Chilean nationals, and Valdivieso “had recently been arrested in Anaheim for a similar incident,” authorities said.
The other two suspects escaped despite “an exhaustive search of the area,” the release added.
Deputies say they obtained evidence as the pursuit began, as the alleged burglars threw a duffle bag out of the sedan, which a community member brought to the attention of authorities.
“The duffle bag contained burglary tools consistent with the types of tools used to force entry into residences,” the VCSO said.
Valdivieso and Martinez were booked on charges of “conspiracy to commit residential burglary, resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer, and possession of fraudulent government documents,” according to the release.
Valdivieso did not appear in a search of jail records, but Martinez is being held in the Ventura County Main Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. He is due to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Friday afternoon, records show.
The VCSO said Valdivieso also is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail and that he’s due in court on Friday.