By F. Scott Faulkner
July 15, 2025 – Ventura County, CA
Four San Bernardino County residents have been arrested in connection with a catalytic converter thefts across Ventura County, following Operation “CAT in the Hat.”
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sargant Baltazar Tapia, between
December 2024 and April 2025, “dozens of vehicles across multiple Ventura County cities were
targeted in a series of catalytic converter thefts.”
In response to this flurry of criminal activity, detectives with the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force (VCORTTF) launched an
investigation that eventually uncovered a gang-linked theft ring “based in San Bernardino
County.”
Investigators identified the suspects—Eric Alonzo, 25, Andy Rodriguez, 19, Steven Alonzo, 32,
and Ronnie Holguin, 24—all believed to be affiliated with a San Bernardino gang.
On June 2, VCORTTF officers joined by Oxnard and Ventura police arrested Eric Alonzo as he left
his residence.
On July 10 Rodriguez was taken into custody on a felony warrant.
Both were booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, charged with grand theft and
conspiracy to commit a crime.
“Through collaboration and dedicated investigation, we’ve significantly disrupted this theft ring,”
Tapia reported.
Meanwhile, Steven Alonzo and Ronnie Holguin remain in San Bernardino County custody on no bail holds.
