Car Theft Suspect Caught After Chase

A 28-year-old Simi Valley man suspected of stealing a car in Los Angeles was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers in Ventura early Wednesday morning after leading officers on a high-speed chase from Los Angeles.

Paul Aguirre was arrested about 2:30 a.m. after the tires of the stolen 1991 Ford Thunderbird he was driving were punctured by spikes laid out by officers, Highway Patrol Officer Dave Cockrill said.

The chase--which reached speeds of 110 mph--had started about a half an hour earlier in Los Angeles when Aguirre had refused to pull over for police officers, Cockrill said.

Aguirre led the pursuing officers through the San Fernando Valley and into Simi Valley on the Ronald Reagan Freeway and then the Moorpark Freeway when Highway Patrol officers took over the pursuit, Cockrill said.

Aguirre continued onto the northbound Ventura Freeway, he said.

At Telephone Road near the Highway Patrol’s local headquarters, officers pulled a strip of spikes across the freeway as Aguirre’s car passed. The spikes punctured his tires, but he was able to travel about half a mile farther before stopping near the Main Street exit. There he was arrested without incident, Cockrill said.

“It’s not very often that we have to deploy the spikes,” he said.

Aguirre was turned over to Los Angeles police, and is awaiting charges on auto theft and evading arrest, Cockrill said.