Armed felon arrested after Lake Elsinore carjacking and pursuit

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — Authorities say a felon armed with a handgun was arrested after first carjacking a woman’s car and then leading deputies on a dangerous pursuit that ended in the area of Machado Street and Lakeshore Drive, about three miles from where the vehicle was taken at gunpoint late Friday evening, Jan. 8.

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Deputies from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station were alerted to the armed carjacking on the 29000 block of Lupine Hills Drive around 11 p.m., Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Rick Garcia has since said of the incident and arrest.

Patrol deputies soon spotted Venegas driving the victim’s vehicle, at which point the felon fled from them, leading officials on “a short vehicle pursuit”, Garcia described.

Lake Elsinore resident Carlos Venegas was arrested after carjacking a woman’s vehicle at gunpoint and then leading deputies on a pursuit that ended in the area of Machado Street and Lakeshore Drive. RSO booking photo

After the pursuit the alleged suspect, 26-year-old, Carlos Venegas, of Lake Elsinore, was taken into custody and arrested.

During a subsequent search, deputies located a weapon in the victim’s vehicle, along with her personal property.

Venegas was later booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon/firearm, recklessly evading peace officers, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and violation of parole.

Online Jail records indicate he remains in custody without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center Jan. 13.

The Sheriff’s investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Deputy Jimenez at the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station (951) 245-3300. Callers can refer to incident file number L210080119 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including KRCR News Channel 7 and Mountain Echo in Shasta County, Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.