THOUSAND OAKS : Deputies Arrest 3 After Burglary

A Thousand Oaks woman returning home startled three burglars from Pacoima, who then tried to flee in a car but were arrested by sheriff’s deputies without incident, authorities said Friday.

One adult, Jose Luis Ochoa , 33, and two male minors, ages 16 and 17, had driven from Pacoima to Thousand Oaks Thursday afternoon to commit the robbery, Sheriff’s Detective Nancy Stovall said.

There was no indication the suspects had staked out the house on a prior trip, and the burglary appeared to have been a random and fairly isolated incident, authorities said.

“It’s not something that’s a new trend, and it’s not something that’s increasing, either,” said Ventura County Sgt. Randy Pentis, referring to burglars who commute to Ventura County from Los Angeles County.

At just about 2:25 p.m., Aba Eskenasy , 39, returned to her home at 2420 Calle Narcisco and surprised the suspects, who had entered the house through an open window next to the front door, Stovall said. Eskenasy was not injured.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the three suspects in a late model car headed south on the Moorpark Freeway near the Ventura Freeway. They were arrested at the Hampshire Road exit along the freeway.

They had no weapons, but did have a 35-millimeter camera taken from Eskenasy’s home, Stovall said.