2 Ventura Boys Held in Thefts of 14 Vehicles

Two teen-agers suspected of stealing 14 cars and trucks from Ventura residents to play bumper tag have been apprehended, police said Friday.

The Ventura boys, 17 and 14 years old, were arrested on suspicion of auto theft and hit-and-run driving after police stopped them in one of the stolen cars Thursday on the corner of Preble and Lemon Grove avenues, said Ventura Police Detective Jerry Thurston.

“You might term it as an extensive joy-ride team,” Thurston said. “They would play demolition derby and play bumper tag.”

The teen-agers are accused of using a master key to steal 13 older-model Datsun pickups and cars and one 1991 Nissan, Thurston said.

In one instance, the teen-agers and a third person were speeding in a rural area off Harbor Boulevard when they lost control of a truck and rolled it, Thurston said.

The occupants were thrown from the truck and the 14-year-old hurt his arm in the accident, he said. Then they fled the scene, he said.

The boys abandoned the cars after they ran out of gas, the radiator blew up or the engine stopped working, Thurston said.

Vehicles turned up in industrial parks on Valentine Road and at businesses along Thompson Boulevard, Thurston said.

Ventura police investigated the matter with help from witnesses who reported seeing people run from the scene of car crashes.

On Thursday, a woman notified police that she had seen one of her friend’s cars that had been stolen. Police located the car and arrested the juveniles, Thurston said.

Thurston said he is still trying to estimate the total amount of damage to the cars. Detectives are investigating how the boys obtained the master key and whether more youths were involved in the thefts, Thurston said.