Photo: Image of suspect Ismael Arellano| Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
In a case that shines a light on the law enforcement value of interagency cooperation in addressing serious crimes such as carjacking, the arrest of 28- year-old Pasadena resident Ismael Arellano on the morning of May 17, 2024 indicates the desperation of some criminals.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Francisco Jauregui, a 911 Emergency call reporting “a carjacking incident” at the city’s In- N-Out Burger restaurant brought patrol units to the scene quickly, although it wasn’t quite time for lunch.
Contact was promptly made with a 32-year-old female victim who reported that a suspect—later identified as Arellano—approached her while she was sitting in her car with a sob story about “needing to use her phone.” Moments later, Arellano forced the woman out of her car and “drove off with the stolen vehicle.”
At that point, detectives from the VCSD Major Crimes Bureau, the Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit, and the Camarillo Police Department Investigations Bureau responded “to assist with the investigation.” Shortly thereafter, Arellano was identified and it was determined that he was “on active parole for Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned in downtown Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Police Department; whereupon Arellano surrendered to police. He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where his parole was revoked and he was booked on charges of carjacking, possession of stolen property, and vehicle theft. He remains in custody with bail set at $200,000.
