According to Ventura Police, the May 1 incident occurred about 4:19 a.m. in the 3300 block of Armada Drive near the corner of Lemon Grove Avenue.

Ventura Police responded to  a report that a carjacking involving a weapon had just occurred and learned from the victim that he had been sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by a man.

The suspect pointed a gun at the victim while demanding the keys, forced the victim out of the car and then fled in the stolen vehicle.

As the responding officer was still speaking with the victim, other VPD Patrol Officers located the suspect in the parking lot of a shopping center at Borchard Drive and Thompson Boulevard.

Officers found property belonging to the victim in the possession of the suspect but not the vehicle. During the investigation officers also found an “airsoft” gun the suspect had used to commit the carjacking. Airsoft guns can be replica firearms or an air gun that shoots a variety of projectiles such as plastic or biodegradable material.

A thorough search was completed of the surrounding neighborhood, and the victim’s vehicle was found abandoned near the intersection of Joanne Avenue and Porter Lane.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspect, identified as Jesus Garcia, 26, of Santa Paula, was booked into Ventura County Jail for carjacking and an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. 

According to Ventura Police no one was injured during the robbery.