Ventura – A quiet intersection in downtown Ventura, well after midnight, was the scene of a bizarre robbery attempt on November 22nd.
It was, according to the Ventura Police Department Watch Commander’s report to the media, just after 2:00 a.m. when a pedestrian flagged down a passing black-and-white patrol unit to describe a man running away from the scene of a violent confrontation which had just taken place. When patrol officers made contact with 52-year-old Monica Meyers, she reported that she had been standing at a heavily-traveled intersection with her mountain bike at her side when “a Hispanic male wearing a black tank top” suddenly grabbed her bike in a brazen attempt to steal it.
But Meyers is apparently not your average female crime victim, and she energetically resisted the efforts of Jason Miller, a 31-year-old Ventura resident. But Miller was undaunted, forcefully pulling the bike away from her to the point of dragging her to the ground and “continuing to drag her while she was holding the bike.” Meyers reported that Miller eventually relinquished his illicit hold of her property and fled southbound through busy downtown streets.
Additional Ventura Police patrol units promptly arrived; several blocks away, Miller was observed and detained, whereupon it was determined that he was in possession of a controlled substance, and was, in fact the same person who had accosted Meyers in the failed robbery effort. Miller was placed under arrest at the scene and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of attempted robbery and possession of a controlled substance.
