Cactus Patch Puts the Hurt on Suspect
A Camarillo man suspected of stealing his grandmother’s car early Friday tried to flee the long arm of the law only to be foiled by the short spikes of a cactus, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Officers driving through Moorpark at 7:30 a.m. spotted a car reportedly stolen by David Lee Owens, 18, police said. The teen-ager was believed headed for Las Vegas, Sgt. Harold Humphries said.
When officers tried to stop Owens, he drove over the center divider on Los Angeles Avenue at the Moorpark Freeway, flattening a tire on the car, Humphries said. Owens then entered the southbound freeway and pulled onto the shoulder, police said.
Owens jumped out of the car, leaped a guardrail and ran down a hill straight into a cactus patch, police said.
“He was immobilized due to the needles in his leg,” Humphries said, and officers arrested him.
Owens was taken to Pleasant Valley Hospital to have the spines removed. He was booked at Ventura County Jail on suspicion of grand theft auto, Humphries said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
