Full Notification

On the afternoon of February 26, 2025, a female victim was loading groceries into her vehicle in the parking lot of Costco, located at 2660 Park Center Way. At that time, a suspect stole her purse from the child seat area of her shopping cart while she wasn’t looking. After the theft, the suspect entered a gray Toyota Prius and quickly fled the area. A nearby witness saw the crime and immediately informed the victim, providing a description of the suspect.
 
As the crime was being reported, two officers from the Special Enforcement Team (SET) found the unoccupied suspect vehicle in the nearby Best Buy parking lot at 1173 Simi Town Center Way. It was later discovered that the suspect had entered the store and attempted to make a large purchase using the victim’s stolen credit cards, but both transactions were declined.
 
Shortly after the officers located the suspect vehicle, the suspect returned and drove away. The officers attempted a traffic stop in the parking lot, but the suspect refused to stop, leading to a high-speed chase that reached speeds over 100 MPH. The suspect fled onto the 118 Freeway, heading toward Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, before turning around and returning to Simi Valley. A pursuit intervention technique (PIT) was used to disable the suspect vehicle at the 118 Freeway and First St., where the suspect was apprehended shortly afterward.
 
The suspect was identified as 33-year-old William Felipe Agudelo Puertas from Los Angeles. He was taken to the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, where he was booked for felony evading, grand theft, and identity theft. At the time of his arrest, officers discovered that Agudelo Puertas had an outstanding felony warrant for similar offenses in San Bernardino County. He remains in custody with a bail set at $325,000.
 
The Simi Valley Police Department thanks the community for its ongoing support and partnership in keeping the city safe. The swift actions of the witness were instrumental in reporting the crime and helping officers quickly locate the suspect. Purse thefts from shopping carts have become increasingly common and are often carried out by organized groups targeting vulnerable victims. In many cases, suspects distract victims while shopping or loading groceries into their vehicles. The Simi Valley Police Department encourages citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.