|
Jason Kohr, handcuffed to a gurney, is transported to the hospital following a pursuit and later subdued by a Ventura County Sheriff K9 |
On Monday, the second time in two months, a Santa Paula man faces charges after he tried to evade police, this time after driving a stolen vehicle, according to authorities.
According to Santa Paula Police Gang Unit Senior Officer Allen Macias, the incident started at about 10 a.m. at 11th and Saticoy Streets, where Officer Keathley of the Santa Paula Police Department attempted to stop a reported stolen vehicle that a wanted felon, Jason Kohr, was driving. Kohr, who was considered armed and dangerous, refused to stop and fled in the vehicle causing a police pursuit.
The vehicle pursuit ended in the mobile home park located at 1500 Richmond Road, where Kohr fled on foot. Officer Keathley chased the suspect on foot and lost sight of him near the park’s west wall. A perimeter was set up in the surrounding area and streets, and a K-9 from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist.
After a lengthy search, the K-9 located Kohr hiding in a backyard of a residence on Ralph Way. Kohr refused officers’ orders to put his hands behind his back and began to actively resist officers. The K-9 was deployed to assist in taking Kohr into custody, where he began to hit the K-9 with his fists. After a brief struggle with the K-9, Kohr was subsequently taken into custody.
Andy VanSciver, a resident and Santa Paula Fire Department PIO, who lives near to where the incident occurred, said “it was great to see the professionalism of the Santa Paula Police Department in dealing with a subject who was not obeying officers’ commands.” He added that “once the suspect was subdued, he was immediately treated for a dog bite by first responders from the Santa Paula Fire Department and AMR paramedics.”
Macias said police believe Kohr to be “a white supremacist gang member or an associate,” a belief reinforced by a tattoo on Kohr that reads “White Pride.”
It was less than two months ago, on September 24, when Kohr was involved in a barricading incident in a View Drive home, where he was being sought on a felony warrant for weapons violations. That incident also ended in his arrest.
