CARLSBAD, Calif. — On August 13, 2025, at approximately 7:46 a.m., the Carlsbad Police Department received a “Be-On-the-Lookout” alert from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office for a silver Toyota RAV4 taken in a carjacking. The suspect reportedly approached the driver, demanded she exit and stole the vehicle through fear and intimidation.
Carlsbad officers monitored updates as the stolen vehicle was detected by License Plate Readers in the city. At approximately 8:38 a.m., officers located the vehicle near La Costa Avenue and the Interstate 5 overpass. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver initially pulled over but then fled at a high rate of speed, reaching more than 100 miles per hour and committing multiple traffic violations.
At approximately 8:49 a.m., the pursuit was terminated due to public safety concerns. A San Diego County Sheriff’s Office deputy later deployed spike strips at approximately 9:05 a.m., deflating a tire and enabling Carlsbad officers to re-initiate the pursuit.
At approximately 9:10 a.m., the suspect continued northbound on El Camino Real before sideswiping another occupied vehicle losing control and crashing into a bus stop structure and a tree near Faraday Avenue.
The suspect exited the vehicle and ignored officers’ commands, walking toward nearby occupied vehicles that were stopped in traffic. A Carlsbad police K9 was deployed and apprehended the suspect, who continued to resist arrest. While officers attempted to secure him in a WRAP restraint device, one Carlsbad Police officer sustained a minor injury. No members of the public or police K9s were injured.
The suspect, 30-year-old Kenneth Ash of Oceanside, was on parole at the time of his arrest. He was treated at a local hospital before being booked into the Vista Detention Facility on multiple charges, including:
Carjacking
Felony evading
Assault on a peace officer
Resisting arrest
Hit and run
Violation of parole
The case remains under investigation, and the Carlsbad Police Department will continue to work with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation moves forward.
For more information
Darbie Ernst, Patrol Lieutenant, 442-339-2139 or darbie.ernst@carlsbadca.gov
