1 Man Held, 1 Sought in Car Theft, Robbery

One man was arrested and a second was being sought Saturday night for allegedly stealing a Jeep Cherokee in Ventura and then committing an armed robbery in Oxnard, authorities said.

More than a dozen officers, a helicopter and a police dog were searching a neighborhood in south Oxnard late Saturday for the second man, Oxnard Police Cmdr. Joe Munoz said.

The search focused on an area between 5th and 8th streets and C and F streets, Munoz said.

The vehicle was stolen about 6:30 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel on Harbor Boulevard, a Ventura police dispatcher said.

Ojai resident Don Barker was parking his wife’s Jeep when he was approached by two armed men who demanded his wallet, according to Barker’s wife.

Barker told the men he didn’t have his wallet and then abandoned the Jeep, leaving the keys behind, his wife said. The couple were at the hotel for a social event.

A few minutes later, the two men drove to a Target store on Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard and allegedly committed an armed robbery in the parking lot, Munoz said. No one was injured.

Officers chased the Jeep for several blocks before the men abandoned it at 7th and E streets. One man, whom police would not identify, was arrested and a gun was recovered, Munoz said. The second man fled on foot.