Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Media Release: Robbery Suspect Arrested with Assistance of UAS
| Nature of Incident: | Robbery Suspect Arrested with Assistance of UAS | |||||
| Report Number: | 26-136909 | |||||
| Location: | 500 block of North Ventu Park Road, City of Thousand Oaks |
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| Date & Time: | 10/17/2026 @ 2025 hours | |||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Thousand Oaks Patrol & Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Team | |||||
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | ||||
| (A) Juvenile male |
Newbury Park, CA |
17 |
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| Narrative: | ||||||
| Patrol personnel, in collaboration with members of the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) cadre, located and apprehended a juvenile suspect in connection with a robbery after he fled from deputies. On October 17th, 2026, at approximately 7:15 p.m., Thousand Oaks Patrol Deputies responded to a reported robbery which just occurred in the 500 block of North Ventu Park Road. Upon arrival, deputies contacted an employee of a local business who reported that a male suspect entered the business, made threats and gestures of possessing a weapon and then proceeded to steal property from the store. The employee was able to provide deputies with a description of the suspect. Patrol personnel quickly began searching the area and located a suspect matching the description in a nearby shopping center. The suspect fled on foot from deputies and was last seen entering an open space area with heavy brush which bordered nearby homes. Due to the rugged terrain a member of the UAS team responded to assist in locating the suspect. A UAS member arrived on scene and utilized the thermal camera capabilities of the UAS to locate the suspect hiding in the brush and guided deputies to the suspect where they were able to safely take him into custody for PC 211 – Robbery. The stolen property was located and returned to the business. The Unmanned Aerial Systems team utilizes small unmanned aircraft, commonly referred to as “UAS”, to locate missing or fleeing individuals and capture video and photographic evidence. While on duty, UAS personnel carry these aircraft in their patrol vehicles. This gives deputies the ability to quickly deploy an aerial resource while waiting for a helicopter to respond. These aircraft also have the ability to search for missing persons, support search and rescue efforts, as well as search for dangerous individuals who may be hiding in rugged terrain or inside of structures prior to deputies having to enter the area themselves. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Cody Pietro | |||||
| News Release Date: | 11/2/2026 | |||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Cody Pietro Phone number: (805) 494-8224 E-mail: [email protected] |
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| Approved by: |
Sergeant Sean Taylor |
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511