Shots fired after catalytic converter thief leads deputies on brief pursuit in Thousand Oaks
A gun was fired and nobody was hit during a deputy-involved shooting in Thousand Oaks Saturday.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, it happened around 5 a.m. in the 3000 block of Rollings Avenue.
Deputies said they were investigating a catalytic converter theft when a pursuit happened.
"We responded to a call about a catalytic converter theft," said Captain Cameron Henderson of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. "We responded and a pursuit happened at that point."
They chased the suspect into a cul-de-sac on Rollings Avenue, and when law enforcement attempted to confront the suspect, he sped towards the deputy and tried to ram him with the vehicle.
It was then that the deputy opened fire on the suspect, who kept driving.
Deputies continued to chase after the suspect, but a misjudged turn caused their patrol vehicle to crash into an uninvolved vehicle, shearing off the bumper, just a block from where the shooting took place.
Said vehicle belongs to Aaron Wiggins, who said he couldn't hear the shots, only "the loud bang of the crash. Luckily, I didn't hear the shots. My kids didn't hear the shots."
The suspect fled in the vehicle and is currently on the loose. They have not been identified, though authorities detailed that he was driving a dark-colored four-door vehicle.
It all began out front of Luke Page's house, when a neighbor in the area saw two cars pull up outside of the Page residence. He detailed how he saw two people approach the car parked in the driveway with a metal saw, which they used to steal the valuable car part.
"It's definitely bold," said Page. "Maybe the reason they didn't take something on the street - they preferred the one in the driveway because it's a little more covered. We have a hill."
The deputy was not harmed in the incident.
This most recent incident is just one in a recent trend of thefts centered around stealing catalytic converters, which contain valuable metals like Palladium and Rhodium.