A Camarillo police deputy was patrolling the area of Fir Street and Ventura Boulevard around 5:50 a.m. Wednesday when he observed a Toyota 4Runner SUV drive through a four-way stop-sign intersection at 40 mph. The deputy immediately attempted to make a traffic stop.
The driver of the 4Runner accelerated and attempted to evade the deputy. The SUV reached speeds in excess of 100 mph on Ventura Boulevard, according to Camarillo Police.
The SUV ran a red light at Ventura and Carmen Drive. Deputies discontinued the pursuit due to public safety concerns. They followed the SUV at a distance without emergency lights and sirens. They lost the SUV, then found it crashed and unoccupied in a ditch at the intersection of Wood Road and Verdulera Street.
Several witnesses told deputies the two suspects fled and indicated their directions. Two Ventura County sheriff's K-9 dogs were deployed. They tracked and located the driver, 20-year-old Port Hueneme resident Zachary Swan. Swan reportedly resisted arrest and was subdued by one of the dogs.
The passenger, 19-year-old Ventura resident Joseph Navarro, was located nearby and arrested.
The 4Runner was determined to be an unreported stolen vehicle. A variety of stolen property items were found in the vehicle.
Swan was hospitalized and treated for injuries from the police dog. He was booked for felony evading, unlawful driving or taking a vehicle, possession of stolen property, hit and run, and resisting or delaying a peace officer.
Navarro was cited and released for resisting or delaying a peace officer.
