THOUSAND OAKS : 2 Charged With Theft of Wooden Pallets

Two Los Angeles men face charges that they stole wooden pallets from a Thousand Oaks grocery store and ran over the manager’s foot as they made their getaway.

Antonio Salas, 23, and Isaac Aguirre, 25, are scheduled to be arraigned today in Ventura County Municipal Court on charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

Both are being held in the Ventura County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

The theft of the wooden pallets occurred about 4:20 p.m. Monday at the Smart and Final at 2400 Hillcrest Drive in Newbury Park. Manager Donald Gooding, 49, of Camarillo spotted the two men loading the pallets into a pickup truck in the back of the store, sheriff’s deputies said.

When he tried to stop them, they allegedly tried to run him down and ended up running over his foot.

Paramedics at the scene said Gooding had bruises on his leg and several broken bones in his foot.

The two suspects were arrested after Ventura County sheriff’s deputies spotted them driving the truck south on the Ventura Freeway at Reyes Adobe Road.

Sheriff’s Detective Ernie Montagna said the two men apparently intended to resell the wooden pallets in Los Angeles.

The pallets--approximately 6 feet by 6 feet--are used by large retail stores to stack merchandise. The pallets sell for up to $75 when new, Montagna said.

Theft of the pallets has become a widespread problem because they can be resold on the black market and because they are easy to steal, he said.

“People just drive to the back and pick them up,” Montagna said.