Sheriff's Office Arrests Five After Oaks Mall Robbery

Five Los Angeles teenagers were arrested last week after allegedly robbing two customers at The Oaks mall and then leading officers on a vehicle chase through Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly before 4 p.m. on June 27, a 79-year-old Camarillo man and a 77-year-old Westlake Village woman called 911 to report they had been beaten and robbed while inside Macy's Men's and Home, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

The man said his high-end watch was stolen from his wrist, and the woman said her purse was stolen. Both were treated for minor injuries at Los Robles Medical Center, police said.

Officers located the suspected thieves in a green sedan near Highway 101 southbound and Lynn Road. VCSO said when officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver failed to yield, prompting the pursuit.

Deputies said they immediately recovered a handgun, which was found to be stolen, that had been thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.

The pursuit from Thousand Oaks to Calabasas ended when the vehicle turned onto a dead-end street at Raven Court and Cottonwood Grove Trail in the Deer Springs neighborhood of Calabasas, the sheriff's office said.

One person remained at the scene and was taken into custody, while the other four suspects fled on foot, police said.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office Air Unit, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department searched the area and the four suspects were arrested.

Deputies said one of the people was in possession of the stolen watch.

Three juvenile suspects — a 13-year-old girl and two 17-year-old boys — were arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony and elder abuse, as well as various firearms charges, records show. They were taken to the Ventura County Juvenile Center. Their identities were not released because of their ages.

The two adult suspects, Corey Thomas and Jonathan Requejo, both 18, were booked into the Ventura County Main Jail.

In court on July 1, both men pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree robbery, elder abuse and theft from an elderly person, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Thomas also pleaded not guilty to one count of carrying a loaded firearm and evading an officer.

Their early settlement conference is scheduled for July 11 and their preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 15.

They are each being held at the Ventura County Main Jail on $50,000 bail.