Costa Mesa: Pedestrian assaulted by three men

Three men are in custody after police say the men jumped a pedestrian in Costa Mesa on Monday morning.

Charles Stines, 22, and Christopher Phillips, 23, of Costa Mesa and Steven Fontaine, 18, of Garden Grove, were arrested after authorities received a call about a possible strong-armed robbery.

Police say a male pedestrian near College Avenue and Village Way was confronted by Stines, Phillips and Fontaine, who began asking him questions.

Later, the three men walked past the pedestrian, then one of them turned and ran at the man, attacking him from behind, according to police.

The man was not seriously injured, officials said.

Stines, Phillips and Fontaine were arrested minutes later about a block away. All three are due in court today, officials said.

— Joseph Serna

Original article at The Pilot

Cypress: Man attacked with Machete

Police arrested a Santa Ana resident this morning for attacking his girlfriend’s ex-husband with a machete.

Antonio Avalos, 33, turned himself in to the Cypress Police Department at 2:50 a.m. Saturday. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said they received several 911 calls at 10:30 p.m. Friday about a fight on the 5400 block of Camp Street. When officers arrived, they found a male victim lying in the street bleeding from the arm.

The 45-year-old male victim, who is the ex-husband of Avalos’ girlfriend, said he was attacked by a machete-wielding man he said was Avalos. The attacker fled the scene in a red Dodge Ram pick up truck.

The victim was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He is expected to survive, according to the Cypress police.

Original article at OC Register

Santa Ana: Couple pistol whipped in market parking lot; car taken

Police are on the lookout for an attacker who robbed a man and woman of their SUV at gunpoint last night in a McFadden Avenue parking lot.

The attacker whipped the victims with the barrel of his handgun before speeding off in their vehicle, according to reports.

Original Article at OC Register

Gang Membership Spikes in OC

More kids are in gangs than anytime since 1998, according to county.

Gang membership among Orange County children jumped by nearly 50 percent in 2007, according to an annual county report on conditions for children.

That increase, from 1,205 in 2006 to 1,766 in 2007, continues a rise in gang membership that was first reported in last year’s Report On The Conditions of Children in Orange County, ending a six-year run of relatively low, steady gang membership. And it takes the number of gang members among children ages 8-17 to the highest level since 1998, before a sharp decrease cut gang membership in half over five years.

Original Article at OC Register

Santa Ana: Police ask for public help locating armed robber

Police on Friday released surveillance video of an armed-robbery suspect and asked for the public’s help to identify him but cautioned that he is considered armed and dangerous.

Investigators believe the man used a gun to rob a Chevron gas station at 3301 S. Bristol St. around 1 a.m. on Oct. 13. The robber surprised the night clerk from behind.

Police describe the suspect as an African-American man, about 30 to 35 years old, between 5′8″ and 6′0″ tall, with black hair, a medium build and a mustache. On the night of the robbery, he was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call 714-245-8440. Callers can remain anonymous.
Original article at OC Register

Costa Mesa: Three arrested for allegedly attacking man

Three men are in custody after police say the men jumped a pedestrian in Costa Mesa on Monday morning.

Charles Stines, 22, and Christopher Phillips, 23, of Costa Mesa and Steven Fontaine, 18, of Garden Grove, were arrested after authorities received a call about a possible strong-armed robbery.

Police say a male pedestrian near College Avenue and Village Way was confronted by Stines, Phillips and Fontaine, who began asking him questions.

Later, the three men walked past the pedestrian, then one of them turned and ran at the man, attacking him from behind, according to police.

Original Article at Daily Pilot

Fullerton: Armed Robbery at Mini-Mart

An armed man robbed an Arco AM-PM Monday night and got away with an unknown amount of cash, police said.

The armed robbery was reported at 7:20 p.m. by the store’s clerk who told police he had been shot and was down, said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald.

Original article at OC Register

Laguna Hills: Jeweler charged in sexual assault on customer

An Orange County jewelry-store owner who allegedly groped a female customer is expected to appear in court today for arraignment on sexual assault charges.

Prosecutors said an 18-year-old shopper was looking for a necklace for her mother Oct. 18 at Royal Fine Jewelry in Laguna Hills when Fereydoun Ghavami, 56, grabbed her breasts and stuck his hand down her pants.

original article at LA Times

Fullerton: Two teens arrested after strong-arm robberies

The robberies occurred minutes apart Monday night in Fullerton, police said. Police arrested two teenagers Monday night following a set of strong-arm robberies.

The first robbery occurred at 10:15 p.m. when the two suspected robbers approached a 32-year-old man who was sitting on a bus bench at Highland and Orangethorpe avenues, said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald.

Original Article at OC Register

Fountain Valley: Man tries to rob Chevron with sawed-off shotgun

A man walked into a Chevron in the 10200 block of Warner Avenue and pointed a sawed off shotgun at an employee, demanding money. The suspect left without obtaining any money when he saw several employees coming out of a back room to see what was happening.

The suspect is still at large.

Original article at OC Register

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