SPPD: Car dies foiling carjacking attempt at Santa Paula gas station
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: February 09, 2000
A carjacker was unable to complete his crime Saturday night when the vehicle he attempted to drive off in from a local gas station died and he was unable to restart it.
The suspect, 20-year-old Fermin Nieves Medrano of Santa Paula, was arrested for attempted carjacking shortly after the incident, according to Agt. Jimmy Fogata of the Santa Paula Police Department.
Medrano is suspected of being at the Unocal gas station, located at 1033 West Main St., on Feb. 5th at about 7:50 p.m.
SPPD officers were dispatched to a call of a possible carjacking in progress but when they arrived on scene they were told that the suspect had “abandoned the attempt for an unknown reason and fled,” said Agt. Fogata.
SPPD officers began a search of the area and located a male subject matching the description of the suspect a short distance away from the gas station.
“After a brief in-field investigation, the subject was arrested for attempted carjacking,” and transported to Santa Paula Police Station where he was booked.
Medrano was then transported to Ventura County Jail where he remained Monday, according to a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Information on the bail set for Medrano was unavailable.
SPPD investigators were able to determine why Medrano was unable to allegedly complete the carjacking attempt, said Agt. Fogata: “When Medrano attempted to drive off in the victim’s car, somehow the car died and he was unable to restart it, causing him to abandon the carjacking.”
The investigation is continuing and more details on the incident were not available.
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