2 ARRESTED IN ARMED ROBBERY OF WESTLAKE VILLAGE B OF A.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

Two men suspected of robbing a Westlake Village bank Friday were arrested about 15 minutes later after a brief chase on the Ventura Freeway, officials said.

Christopher Michael Jackson, 24, and Rodolfo Zamaro, 22, were arrested at the Rice Avenue exit in Oxnard shortly after the 9:57 a.m. robbery at the Bank of America branch at 954 S. Westlake Blvd. No injuries were reported.

Using descriptions of the suspects and the getaway vehicle provided by witnesses, Ventura County Sheriff's Department deputies tracked the getaway car north on the Ventura Freeway. The California Highway Patrol and an FBI agent who heard about the chase on the police scanner also assisted.

"What I would like to point out is that this was a textbook operation," Chief Deputy Bob Brooks said.

Zamaro is suspected of driving the getaway car, and Jackson is believed to have committed the robbery at gunpoint - an unusual occurrence in Ventura County where robbers typically say they have a gun or show what appears to be the butt of a weapon stuck in a waistband, officials said.

According to the Sheriff's Department, Jackson is suspected of entering the bank alone, drawing his weapon from his waistband and demanding money from a teller before walking back to the getaway car.

Sheriff's deputies responded within minutes of the alarm, obtained the suspect's description, vehicle license plate number and vehicle description from a witness who was in the area, and broadcast the information immediately, officials said.

The suspect vehicle was spotted traveling north about 65 mph on the Ventura Freeway at Ventu Park Road and was pursued over the Conejo Grade to Oxnard, where it was stopped at Rice Avenue, officials said.

The two suspects were arrested, and a handgun and an undisclosed amount of money were recovered from the car, officials said.

Both were booked at the East County Jail and taken to the main County Jail in Ventura, officials said.

Photographs and descriptions by witnesses led authorities to conclude that Zamaro had robbed the same bank Nov. 8, said FBI Special Agent Larry J. Dick.

"There's a great deal of similarity. This is something we're going to pursue," Dick said.

Thursday's robbery was the fifth in the county this year, and the fourth in the Conejo Valley, according to the FBI.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo (color) A suspect in Friday's armed robbery at Bank of America in Westlake Village was apprehended in Oxnard. Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News