Cocaine Suspect Seized After Simi Chase
An 18-year-old Moorpark man was arrested early Wednesday after selling an undercover sheriff’s deputy $100,000 worth of cocaine and leading officers on a chase through the parking lot of a Simi Valley department store, authorities said.
Garrett Mitchell Clark Sanders was arrested on suspicion of selling one kilogram of cocaine and was held at the East Valley Station of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Deparment in lieu of $200,000 bail, said Lt. Bob Gockel.
The arrest culminated a monthlong investigation conducted jointly by the Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and the Simi Valley Police Department, Gockel said.
Sanders was arrested shortly after midnight in the parking lot of the Mervyn’s department store at Sycamore Drive and Cochran Street after he handed a kilo of cocaine to an undercover deputy, Gockel said. The undercover officer signaled other officers to arrest Sanders, but, as they closed in, Sanders ran to his car and began to drive off, Gockel said.
An officer stopped Sanders’ getaway by blocking his exit from the lot with a patrol car, Gockel said.
After ramming the patrol car, Sanders attempted to escape on foot, but was quickly caught by deputies, Gockel said.
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