Here’s a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Train hits big rig near Somis
An Amtrak Surfliner train hit a semitrailer on Highway 118 in the Somis area Tuesday evening, stopping rail traffic and clogging vehicle lanes in the area.
Five people on the train suffered minor to moderate injuries, authorities said.
The incident prompted the full closure of Highway 118 between Balcom Canyon Road and Highway 34, also known as Somis Road. Residents of the affected area were being allowed to return home, officials said.
California Highway Patrol officials expected the route to open in the early morning hours Wednesday after removal of the big rig and after road repairs were complete.
The collision was reported near the intersection with Sand Canyon Road shortly after 6:15 p.m. along the 118, also called Los Angeles Avenue, according to Ventura County Fire Department and CHP reports.
The crossing is east of Highway 34 on a stretch that cuts through mostly agricultural fields.
About 90 people were on board the southbound train, which had been headed to Los Angeles. Five people were reportedly injured. All but one of the patients was able to walk out, firefighters said.
One person with moderate injuries was taken by ambulance to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. CHP officials said five people in all were taken to local hospitals with minor to moderate injuries.
Of the Amtrak train’s six passenger cars, one was partially off the tracks but still upright, according to firefighters.
The driver of the semitrailer was apparently uninjured. A photo from the scene showed the tractor intact next to train tracks.
The semitrailer had been crossing the tracks from the south side of the 118 at the time, said Officer Ryan Ayers of the CHP’s Moorpark-area office. The big rig was traveling north on Sand Canyon, which takes a jog on the south side of the highway, he said. The crossing is controlled by lights and arms.
The driver had been crossing legally, while the arms were up, but the big rig apparently became disabled while on the tracks, Ayers said. The CHP will investigate the cause, he said, although initial evidence indicates the semi may have been disabled by the grade.
The big rig’s trailer was empty at the time, Ayers said. The tank-type trailer is generally used for hauling grain, he said.
Hydraulic fluid leaking at the scene initially brought a request for environmental health officials that was later canceled when crews determined there was no danger from hazardous materials.
This item may be updated.
Shooting victim named
Authorities have identified the teenager killed by gunfire last week in south Oxnard.
Jaime Lagunas, 16, was an Oxnard resident, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. He died of gunshot wounds of the chest and head, the agency reported.
Oxnard Police Department officers responded around 8 a.m. Thursday to the 200 block of West Clara Street for reports of a gunshot victim.
The 911 caller told dispatchers he was taking Lagunas to a hospital, and officers found the two near Oxnard Boulevard and Date Street, where Lagunas was provided with emergency medical care before being taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center. He underwent emergency surgery at the hospital but did not survive.
Police have described the homicide, the city’s seventh this year, as gang related. As of Tuesday no arrests had been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Meagan Tobey at 805-385-7755 or at [email protected].
Robbery suspects sought
Authorities are searching for two men who are believed to have followed a woman from a bank and robbed her Monday evening in Thousand Oaks.
The incident was reported around 5 p.m. in the 2000 block of Pleasant Way, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. James Sullivan. The city of Thousand Oaks contracts with the sheriff’s office for police services.
The men allegedly smashed the passenger side window of the car driven by the victim and took her purse containing $2,500, the captain said.
No description of the suspects was available, but their vehicle was described as a four-door Chevy or GMC truck.
String of local robberies draw federal charges
A 30-year-old suspect arrested in Oxnard last week faces federal charges for a series of alleged robberies in November.
Oscar Silva, 30, has been accused of carrying out robberies in Oxnard and Ventura, the Oxnard Police Department reported.
The department’s violent crimes unit launched an investigation into the crimes, carried out at food stands, a convenience store and a smoke shop, late last month. Detectives determined the same suspect appeared to be responsible for at least five incidents in Oxnard as well as other robberies in Ventura County.
On Dec. 7, Oxnard police arrested Silva on an outstanding warrant related to the investigation.
The Ventura County Violent Gang Task Force worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles to get a federal arrest warrant for Silva, police officials said in a news release Tuesday.
The federal complaint alleges one count of a so-called Hobbs Act robbery, a federal crime that involves interstate or foreign commerce. The supporting affidavit alleges Silva carried out five robberies in Oxnard and Ventura between Nov. 6-12. Silva was slated to appear in federal court in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon, according to police.
