THOUSAND OAKS : Truck Hijacking Ring Uncovered

Police have broken a Los Angeles-based truck hijacking ring that stashed stolen goods in a Thousand Oaks self-storage locker, investigators said.

The suspects allegedly hijacked two tractor-trailer rigs filled with thousands of dollars worth of clothing and electronic goods in Los Angeles earlier this year.

In one case, they forced the driver out at gunpoint, and in the other, tied up the driver and a passenger in the truck’s sleeping compartment. None of the three were harmed. The hijackers then drove the stolen vehicles to the Westlake Village Self-Storage, 2550 Willow Lane, where they unloaded the merchandise, according to police.

The hijackers sold the goods out of phony businesses in Los Angeles or shipped them out of state, said Los Angeles Police Detective Ray Allen. After breaking the ring late last month, police arrested four Los Angeles men and charged them with kidnaping for the purpose of robbery and with possession of stolen property in connection with hijackings Feb. 27 and March 12, Allen said.

The Cargo Cats, a multi-agency team of investigators that handles cargo thefts, arrested Behzad Lavi, 24; Behouz Lavi, 25; Rafael Lopez Gonzalez, 26, and Romilio Rodemiro Lopez, 26. They are seeking two additional suspects and are also looking for Behouz Lavi and Lopez, who have jumped bail, Allen said.

The men are suspected of involvement in four or five other hijackings, but have not yet been charged in those cases, Allen said.