OXNARD : 2 Men Arrested in Bicycle Theft

Oxnard police have arrested two men on suspicion of stealing a 14-year-old boy’s bike after forcing him to abandon it as he rode down the street, authorities said Thursday.

Homero Barajas and Gilbert Amar, both 19, were taken into custody on suspicion of strong-arm robbery a short time after the incident when patrol officers recognized their car from a description broadcast by police dispatchers. The bike was recovered.

Both men were booked into County Jail and were being held Thursday in lieu of $20,000 bail. They are scheduled to appear in Ventura County Municipal Court today.

The incident occurred about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday as the boy was riding in the area of Wooley and Ventura roads, police said. The boy told police a car pulled up beside him and the passenger got out and tried to hit him. When the boy abandoned his bike, the passenger threw it in the back of the car and the driver drove away.