2 Teens Jailed After Stolen Car Crashes

A traffic stop for a broken license plate light turned into a chase late Sunday that ended when a stolen car crashed into a home and a police dog sniffed out two teenage suspects hiding under a van.

Oxnard Police Officer Jeff McGreevy saw the car in Fremont Square Shopping Center about 11 p.m.

He turned on his red lights, but the driver sped off at up to 60 mph, said Sgt. Tom Chronister.

The driver lost control at nearby Doris Avenue and N Street, smashing into a telephone pole in an alley and then into a house. It was not clear if anyone was in the building at the time.

The two youths ran off and were found about 10 minutes later in the 500 block of North Ventura Road.

Both of the 16-year-olds suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Neither had been wearing a seat belt.

They were treated at Ventura County Medical Center and then taken to Juvenile Hall.

They were charged with operating a stolen vehicle, and the driver also faces charges of evading a police officer and felony hit-and-run--for causing the passenger’s injuries.