Teen Girls Suspected of Stealing Cars

Two 13-year-old Ventura girls suspected of stealing two vehicles and driving through several west county communities were in Juvenile Hall, authorities said Tuesday.

The girls had spent the night at a friend’s house in Camarillo and told police they were looking for a ride home Monday morning, California Highway Patrol Officer Don Scholl said. They found a 1983 Cadillac with keys in it at the Motel 6 on Daily Drive and drove away in it, Scholl said.

They reached Ventura, stopped at the home of one girl, then resumed the ride, passing through Oxnard and El Rio, Scholl said. About 11:30 a.m., they ran a stop sign and slammed into a pickup at Balboa and Stroube streets in El Rio.

The teens kept going, but the driver of the pickup--who was not injured--and another outraged driver followed them into Oxnard. At a red light on Vineyard Avenue near The Esplanade mall, the adult drivers screamed at them, threatening to call police, Scholl said.

At that point, the girls abandoned the Cadillac and ran through the mall parking lot, finding an El Camino with keys under the seat, Scholl said. They had begun driving away when an off-duty sheriff’s deputy chased them, authorities said. The girls slammed into a tree in the parking lot, ending the pursuit.

They were arrested by Oxnard police.

Neither of the girls was hurt. The teen who drove both cars was awaiting arraignment on charges of auto theft, hit-and-run driving and being an unlicensed driver.

Her friend was to be charged with auto theft, Scholl said.