OXNARD : Suspect Flees After Car Chase, Smashup

Oxnard police on Sunday were searching for a suspect who had eluded officers on foot following a high-speed chase through city streets that ended when a driverless car slammed into a police cruiser.

After Oxnard patrol officers stopped and arrested Jose Luis Gil Jr., 25, around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of Redwood Street following a short foot pursuit, a second passenger in the car sprang from the vehicle and escaped, according to Oxnard Police Sgt. Daniel Christian.

The second suspect, whose description was not available, is believed to have thrown a loaded 9mm handgun over the wall into the back yard of a residence.

The weapon was later recovered, Christian said.

The incident began when a member of the Police Department’s gang enforcement team spotted Gil allegedly speeding. When the officer tried to pull him over, Gil sped away, leading the officer on a circuitous route through the city and narrowly averting two head-on collisions. The chase ended when Gil leaped from the car with the vehicle in reverse. The car then smashed into the front of Officer Michael Williamson’s patrol car.

Gil was taken to Ventura County Jail, where he remained in custody late Sunday. He was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail on suspicion of evading police, committing cellular telephone fraud and possessing a loaded and concealable firearm in a vehicle.