CAMARILLO, Calif. — A Camarillo man was arrested after deputies say he struck an 84-year-old pedestrian and fled the scene, then was tracked down in Thousand Oaks in under an hour using license plate reader data, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced.
Read the Ventura County Sheriff's Office release: https://nixle.us/HSWPM
The Collision, the Victim, the Flight
On November 4, 2026, at about 8:10 a.m., Camarillo Traffic Bureau deputies responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian hit-and-run traffic collision at Chandler Street and Arneill Road in Camarillo, the Sheriff's Office stated.
Upon their arrival, an 84-year-old man was being treated by medical personnel for substantial injuries. The vehicle involved had fled the scene prior to the deputies' arrival, the Sheriff's Office stated.
Deputies quickly located a video of the collision on a nearby residential security camera. The video captured the collision and the suspect vehicle, but it did not capture the license plate, the Sheriff's Office stated.
The Cameras, the Plate, the Arrest
Deputies worked with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Advanced Real Time Information Center to search the Automated License Plate Reader system for the make, model and color of the suspect vehicle. A license plate reader located near the scene captured a vehicle matching the description, and a license plate was quickly identified for the suspect vehicle, the Sheriff's Office stated.
Additional license plate reader information showed the vehicle had fled to Thousand Oaks. Deputies arrived in the area and quickly located the suspect vehicle, the Sheriff's Office stated.
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Deputies contacted Thanh Mai, 27, of Camarillo, and took him into custody for violation of Vehicle Code 20001, hit and run causing great bodily injury, the Sheriff's Office stated.
The charge is an allegation. Mai is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Sheriff's Office said the investigation highlights the usefulness of license plate reader data in aiding investigations, noting the suspect vehicle was identified and located in a different city in under an hour using these tools.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
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The investigation is ongoing, the Sheriff's Office stated.
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous, and the call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Sources
Ventura County Sheriff's Office, "Felony Hit and Run Arrest," news release dated November 5, 2026 (Report No. 26-144567): https://nixle.us/HSWPM