Man arrested for forcibly taking purse from woman’s car in Ventura

VENTURA, Calif. - Ventura police arrested a man for forcibly stealing a woman's purse from her car in a Vons parking lot on Saturday.

The Ventura Police Department received the 911 call around 8:12 p.m. regarding a strong armed robbery of a purse that occurred near the Vons on Telegraph Road.

Officers investigated the crime and learned that the victim had entered her car and found two people already sitting in the backseat.

Police identified one of those subjects as Alfredo Magana and said it appeared that Magana and the other person had entered the woman's car thinking it belonged to their friend.

When confronted by the owner of the car, Magana reportedly grabbed her purse and exited the car. Police said the woman tried to hold onto her purse, but Magana forcibly took it from her.

Magana then got into a BMW sedan and left the shopping center onto Telegraph Road.

About 30 minutes later, an officer reportedly spotted the suspect vehicle in the area of Saticoy Avenue and Darling Road and attempted to stop the car.

During what officer's described as a "high risk stop," Magana was identified and arrested for robbery. The victim's purse was found inside the car.

Police said the victim was not injured during this incident. Other people were found inside the suspect car as well, but were determined to not have committed a crime and were released on the scene.