Councilman and Son Help Catch Suspect

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies are applauding the efforts of Moorpark Councilman Bernardo Perez and his son in corralling a suspected drunk driver in their city who the Perezes say crashed into a light pole, then fled the scene.

Perez said his 26-year-old son was dropping him off at a City Council meeting Wednesday evening when the two saw a car crash into a light pole.

Perez said the driver and passenger stepped out of the car and, to Perez’s surprise, started running.

Perez, 48, said he chased the passenger a short distance, but he got away by jumping two fences and running down a concrete flood control channel.

“I thought, nah, I’m not going to follow him into there,” Perez said.

Meanwhile, he said, his son, Bernardo A. Perez, followed the driver for about a mile into a residential neighborhood until a sheriff’s deputy, who the elder Perez flagged down, arrested the man.

Ilamo Aguirre, 22, of Moorpark was booked in the East Ventura County Jail on suspicion of drunken driving and hit-and-run.

“Councilman Perez and his son as well as other citizens who called in information are to be commended for their actions,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Carl Patterson. “This is another good example of Moorpark citizens getting involved in the protection of people in their community.”