At about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ventura resident Angela Wesoloski kept her car running and unlocked while she was moving items from her vehicle. That's when 23-year-old Ryan Cortez snuck into her car and drove off heading southbound on Ventura Avenue from the 2900 block of Omaha Avenue.
Wesoloski dialed 911, and responding officers were able to pinpoint Cortez within minutes. When Cortez saw officers behind him, he crashed Wesoloski's car into another car that was stopped at a red light at Stanley Avenue.
At that point, Cortez bolted from the vehicle, leading officers on a brief foot chase before getting caught. Officers found he had stolen items from Wesoloski's car, and that he also had two outstanding felony warrants and one misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.
Cortez was arrested for those outstanding warrants and for charges relating to the stolen vehicle, hit-and-run, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.
