OXNARD : Police Chase Ends in Injuries, Arrest

A high-speed chase through the streets of Oxnard early Friday led to the arrest of one man and serious injuries for his two passengers.

Police said Gilberto John Pinon, 25, of Oxnard was driving south on Ventura Road at about 100 m.p.h. when a patrolman saw him speed by about 2 a.m. Friday.

Police said the officer followed the car but temporarily lost track of the vehicle when Pinon shut off the car’s headlights.

Officer Terry Burr, who was in pursuit, picked up the vehicle as its brake lights illuminated for a northbound turn onto N Street.

Moments later, the car slammed into a parked truck near N and Hill streets, pushing the truck into another vehicle parked directly in front of it.

Two passengers in Pinon’s car suffered serious injuries, police said.

Rogelio Reynoso, 23, of Oxnard was listed in serious condition Friday at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, and Lorraine Espinoza, 20, also of Oxnard was in surgery Friday morning, hospital officials said.

Pinon, who was not injured in the collision, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving after officers measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.12--1 1/2 times the legal limit.

He is being held on $10,000 bail in Ventura County Jail, a jail commander said. No arraignment date has been scheduled.