OXNARD : Robbery Suspect Is Accidentally Shot

A 28-year-old Oxnard man, suspected of robbing the Mandalay Beach Resort, was shot in the hand early Sunday during a scuffle with police.

Gerald Navarro was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. after committing a series of armed hold-ups at the hotel and then stealing a car to get away, Oxnard Police Officer Mindy Morter said.

Morter said a police officer spotted Navarro and another unidentified man near the hotel in a car that witnesses said matched the vehicle they saw the robbery suspect driving away from the hotel. Following a short car chase, Navarro and the other man stopped the car and ran away on foot.

Morter said that during a scuffle with Navarro, an officer’s handgun was knocked free and a single round from the weapon discharged, striking Navarro in the hand.

The other suspect was not caught by police. No other injuries were reported.

Police did not say Sunday how much money was taken during the robberies or how many people were robbed.

Navarro was taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where he was treated and released. He was later booked into the Ventura County Jail on suspicion of robbery and auto theft. He remained in custody late Sunday on $20,000 bail.