Man Suspected of Auto Theft Is Arrested

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of auto theft after police officers saw a van with its side window smashed out near Thompson Park, authorities said Sunday.

Victor Manuel Ceja of Oxnard, who was already being sought on a warrant related to an earlier car theft, was booked into County Jail.

Officers said they noticed the van on Gibraltar Street about 8:40 p.m. Saturday. Ceja, who was in the van, then ran into a nearby park, but officers caught up with him and took him into custody after a brief struggle, said Oxnard Police Officer Terry Burr.

Officers inspected the 1989 Toyota minivan and found a machete, a hatchet and items believed to have been stolen in the prior auto burglary, Burr added.