Ventura man arrested for stealing cash at gunpoint, running from police

VENTURA, Calif. - A Ventura man was arrested early Sunday morning after approaching an occupied vehicle with a gun and demanding cash.

Around 3:54 a.m., police responded to a call from a young man and woman saying they were robbed while inside their car on the 900 block of E. Thompson Boulevard.

They said the 39-year-old man brandished a gun and demanded cash. After giving him some cash, the two victims fled the area before contacting police.

When officers arrived in the area, they said they saw the suspect entering a taxi. One officer told the man to exit the taxi, but when he did, he ran away from police.

The officers then set up a perimeter to search for the suspect with help from Ventura PD K-9's and a Ventura County Sheriff's K-9 Unit.

The man was ultimately found hiding in the backyard of a home on the 900 block of E. Thompson Blvd.

He was arrested without incident and faces charges for robbery and resisting arrest.

A review of the Ventura County Superior Court website shows that the suspect has prior arrests for identity theft, vehicle burglary, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.