3 of 9 Escape After Border Patrol Arrests

Three suspected undocumented workers arrested early Wednesday escaped from custody, fleeing into a nearby lemon orchard.

A single Border Patrol officer arrested nine undocumented workers after checking on a car stopped on the side of Laguna Road between Wood and Pleasant Valley roads in Camarillo shortly after 7 a.m..

Several more cars were stopped and more arrests made, during which the three workers fled, said arresting Border Patrol Agent Mike Malloy, who is the last member of the service still on duty in Ventura County.

The Sheriff’s Department responded with a helicopter and search dogs but were unable to locate the escaped men.

The arrests, which were not the result of a raid, were made after Malloy and a detention enforcement officer pulled up behind a stopped vehicle and checked on the occupants.

Shortly afterward, more cars stopped, each carrying a number of suspected undocumented workers, and additional arrests were made.

During the commotion, two of the men worked their way out of their handcuffs and fled. Another who was unable to free himself took advantage of the situation and ran as well.