MOORPARK, Calif. – A man wanted on an arrest warrant was caught in Southern California after a motorcycle officer spotted the fake license plate on the tractor-trailer he was driving, authorities said Tuesday.
The counterfeit license plate, painted black and yellow and reading “Califas” instead of California, prompted the officer to pull the truck over in the city of Moorpark, Senior Deputy David Anaya with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The driver appeared to be under the influence of drugs, Anaya said. The motorist had methamphetamine, did not have a license and had an active warrant for his arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
The vehicle he was driving had to be towed from the scene “because it was unsafe to be driven,” Anaya said.
The sheriff’s office has not released the driver’s name.
The recent arrest is just one of many involving commercial vehicles traveling through Moorpark, which have become a safety concern for residents, authorities said.
About 243 commercial vehicles go through the city every hour, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
The Moorpark Police Department and the California Highway Patrol regularly conduct mechanical safety inspections on those vehicles, often on Los Angeles Avenue, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Three motorcycle officers with Moorpark police dedicate about one third of their time on commercial vehicles, the agency added.
Officers in the city issued 983 traffic and parking citations for commercial truck violations in 2018, the Sheriff’s Office said.