Van Theft Suspects Are Ages 13, 14

Police investigators said Wednesday that five boys and one girl who allegedly stole a van in Oxnard the day before and tried to run down a police officer who fired his weapon at them were a group of 14- and 13-year-olds.

The incident began about 3 p.m. Tuesday when Oxnard Police Officer Sharon Gerding noticed that the driver of a cream-colored Toyota van looked too young to drive, said David Keith, an Oxnard Police Department spokesman.

When Gerding tried to pull the van over, the driver sped away and a chase ensued with several Oxnard and Port Hueneme patrol cars, Keith said.

The youths--one boy was 14 and the rest 13--were stopped a little after 3 p.m. when Officer Mike Steyer, 27, fired twice at the van, shattering the windshield, Keith said.

The officer was standing in an alleyway in the 1300 block of West Channel Islands Boulevard and the stolen van was coming toward him, authorities said.

One of the bullets lodged in a front seat on the passenger side, and the 13-year-old boy driving the van stopped the vehicle, authorities said. All the youths jumped from the van and ran, but were quickly caught, Keith said.

The youths were booked into Ventura County Juvenile Hall, said Sgt. Lee Wilcox, who investigated the incident. The driver was being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer.