3 Chilean nationals in South American theft group arrested in Thousand Oaks: officials

LOS ANGELES - Three Chilean nationals believed to be connected to a South American organized retail theft group were arrested in Thousand Oaks. 

According to authorities, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office responded to a vehicle burglary call in a parking lot at The Oaks Mall on April 15. The witness told authorities a man was breaking windows of a parked car. When authorities arrived, three suspects ran away from the scene. 

One juvenile suspect was arrested in the 300 block of West Hillcrest Drive, authorities said.

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

A second suspect - Hugo Camilo Perez Martinez -  led authorities on a high-speed pursuit that ended when the car crashed into a home fence in the 1200 block of Camino Do Rios.

A third suspect - Esperanza Rafaela Brevis Venegas - was located walking in the 1000 block of Hillcrest Drive and arrested.

An investigation determined the three suspects conspired to commit a theft at Macy's. Once completed, they returned to their car only to realize they locked their keys inside. That's when the witness called police as the suspects were seen trying to break the window into their own car in an attempt to get the keys. 

Officers recovered a large amount of stolen clothing inside the car. Authorities said the items were stolen from multiple retail stores across Southern California. 

At this time authorities are working with other law enforcement agencies to identify where the items were stolen from.

All three suspects were arrested on several charges including organized retail theft and possession of stolen property.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.