Ventura Robbery Suspect Is Held in New York City

A man suspected of robbing three men at gunpoint earlier this month near a Ventura movie theater has been arrested in New York, authorities announced Wednesday.

Douglas Norman Hoover, 27, of Oxnard was taken into custody Monday in New York City on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm, authorities said.

Ventura police said Hoover is a suspect in the Aug. 13 robbery of three men in the parking lot of the Century 16 Theaters, off Johnson Drive near the Ventura Freeway. The man demanded money and fled after his victims complied.

None of the victims was injured. Authorities have identified the victims as Edward Barton, 40, of Ventura; Jeremy Brink, 23, of Santa Paula; and Michael Padilla, 23, also of Santa Paula.

One of the men, a security guard, wrote down the license plate number of the robber’s vehicle, Ventura Police Det. Tom Randall said.

Authorities believe Hoover fled to New York City, where he came under the attention of police after he was seen selling watches on a street without a permit, Randall said.

A .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, which is the same type of weapon used in the Ventura robbery, was found on Hoover at the time of his arrest, along with property allegedly linking him to the movie theater holdup, Randall said. The detective also said prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office plan to charge Hoover with possession of a loaded firearm.

Ventura police have obtained a warrant for Hoover’s arrest in the Ventura case. Bail has been set at $250,000 and extradition proceedings are pending.