OXNARD : 3 Theft Suspects Arrested After Police Pursuit

Three suspected shoplifters who led police on a brief car chase before slamming head-on into a patrol car were arrested Wednesday, police said.

Authorities were called to the Shopping at the Rose Mall on North Rose Avenue in Oxnard about 10:30 a.m. after Sam’s Club employees reported seeing several men conceal a car’s license plate with rags.

Police said they arrived in time to see two men bolt from the nearby Sportmart carrying clothing and shoes and speed off in their car in an effort to elude a police cruiser arriving at the scene. An officer fired two shots at the suspects’ car, which turned into a nearby alley, crashing head-on into a second police car, authorities said.

“All I could see were two guys running out of the store with a bunch of clothes,” said sales clerk Teresa Roa. “Then I heard two shots. They were loud.”

Two passengers--Peter Camacho, 33, and Anthony Charles Martinez, 32, both of Oxnard--were arrested at the scene, police said. The driver of the car fled on foot, jumping a retaining wall and disappearing into the Rio Lindo neighborhood.

After a five-hour helicopter and door-to-door search, the suspected driver, Martin Cardenas, 31, of Oxnard, was arrested in the back yard of home in the 2100 block of Almanor Street, police said.

Police said the officer fired at the fleeing car’s tires, but both shots missed. No injuries were reported.