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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: sapd

Santa Ana commercial burglary suspect arrested in Tustin

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A commercial burglary suspect who accessed the storage yard of the Saf-T-Co Supply Inc. warehouse, located at 1300 E. Normandy Place, in Santa Ana, and stole several tools with an estimated value of approximately $1,400.00, is now under arrest courtesy of the Tustin Police Department.

The suspect, who has not been identified by name, was arrested in Tustin on a different criminal charge unrelated to the Santa Ana case..

Anyone with additional information on the suspect is asked to please contact Detective Garcia at (714) 245-8732 or JGarcia@santa-ana.org.

The SAPD arrested a male nurse for alleged sexual battery of an elderly patient

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On 10/08/20, Santa Ana Police arrested Gabriel Arce, a 46-year-old nurse, for sexual battery, indecent exposure and elder abuse. Police investigated allegations made by a 73-year-old victim who was under medical care by Arce. The victim reported that Arce exposed his penis and brushed it against her hand as he provided medical attention. The victim was confined to a wheelchair and unable to leave the situation. A witness to the incident came forward and provided a statement to police.

The incident occurred at South Coast Post Acute Facility in Santa Ana where Arce was a nurse and unit supervisor for over one year. Arce has worked at nursing facilities since 2011 in Santa Ana and Long Beach.

Arce was arrested following the investigation and booked at the Orange County Jail. He is currently out on bail.

Santa Ana Police Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are asking that anyone who might have information contact Detective Corona at (714) 245-8343 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

The SAPD is searching for a commercial burglary suspect

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On August 29, 2020, at approximately 6 PM, the wanted suspect accessed the storage yard of the Saf-T-Co Supply Inc. warehouse, located at 1300 E. Normandy Place, in Santa Ana.

While walking through the yard, the suspect located an open window to the building, which he used to make entry. Once inside, the suspect ransacked the warehouse and stole several tools with an estimated value of approximately $1,400.00.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the wanted suspect is asked to please contact Detective Garcia at (714) 245-8732 or JGarcia@santa-ana.org.

The SAPD is searching for a missing man who has dementia and needs medication

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On 10/12/2020, at approximately 5 AM, Thien Nguyen walked out of his residence in an unknown direction. Nguyen suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s. He is non-verbal and in need of medication.

Description: Male, Vietnamese, 5’2”, 110 lbs., gray hair, brown eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Thien Nguyen is asked to please contact Detective Corporal Padron at (714) 245-8545

The City of Santa Ana is fed up with the drug use and criminal activity at the Red Roof Inn

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Crime, Drugs, Hotels, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The City of Santa Ana has filed a public nuisance narcotics abatement lawsuit against the owners of the Red Roof Inn Santa Ana seeking to halt rampant criminal and narcotics-related activity.

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, is part of a sustained, concentrated and collaborative effort by the City’s Code Enforcement Division, Santa Ana Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office to target properties that are magnets for gangs, guns, and narcotics activity. The defendants named in the lawsuit include: RR Santa Ana LP and Mountain High/Holiday Hill Corporation, the owners and operators of the business, as well as Terry Tognazzini, Patricia Tognazzini, and Daniel Tognazzini, who are the directors and managers of those business entities.

The Red Roof Inn Santa Ana is a 125-unit motel located at 2600 N. Main St. and adjacent to several businesses and restaurants. The property is located less than 500 feet from the Discovery Cube Orange County and a City park.

Since at least 2018, the property has served as a host for individuals who sell or use narcotics, as well as a gathering place for convicted criminals, probationers, and parolees. The rampant drug-related activity has served as a magnet for crime. From Jan. 1, 2019, to the present, the Santa Ana Police Department has received more than 440 calls for service at the property and has been the source of frequent community complaints.

Additionally, the City’s Code Enforcement Division inspected the property and discovered more than 140 violations of state building codes, including unsafe modifications, rodent and vermin infestations, lack of working smoke detectors, and other violations caused by a lack of proper maintenance.

As a result of these violations, the lawsuit also seeks to abate and correct these building code and health and safety violations for the well-being of the motel guests and the community.

The City’s lawsuit against the owners of the Red Roof Inn seeks a number of remedies to bring immediate relief to the community, including:

• The appointment of a receiver to take over operation of the property;
• A court order requiring the owners to reside in the property until the nuisance is abated;
• An injunction prohibiting narcotics and other criminal activity on the property; and
• Physical and managerial improvements to the property including, without limitation: an internet-connected video monitoring system, improved lighting, secure gating and fencing, improved tenant screening, and 24-hour, licensed security guards.

Read the complaint here: https://bit.ly/2GHl25X

About Santa Ana

Santa Ana is downtown for the world famous Orange County, California. It is the County Seat, the second-most populous city in Orange County, and is home to a vibrant evening scene and arts community. About three-quarters of the City’s residents are Latino. Over 1,200 City employees work hard every day to deliver efficient public services in partnership with our community to ensure public safety, a prosperous economic environment, opportunities for our youth, and a high quality of life for residents. Learn more at www.santa-ana.org.

The SAPD is looking for a suspect who kidnapped and carjacked a disabled woman

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On October 3, 2020, at approximately 12:51PM, the 67-year-old disabled, female victim was sitting in the passenger seat of her vehicle waiting for her husband who was shopping.

The wanted suspect entered the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle and drove off with the victim. The victim asked the suspect to release her several times, but he refused.

The suspect eventually drove the victim to the location and upon their arrival, the suspect fled the location on foot.

The victim’s sister was able to take a picture of the wanted suspect as he fled the location.

Location: Mom’s Market – 5111 W. Edinger Avenue, Santa Ana

Anyone with information identifying the wanted suspect in this case is asked to contact Detective D. Prewett at (714) 245-8323.

The SAPD is hosting a Drive Thru National Night Out this afternoon at El Salvador Park

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The Santa Ana Police Department is hosting National Night Out Drive Thru Event on Tuesday, October 6 at El Salvador Park located at 1902 West 10th Street from 3 pm to 5 pm.

There will be police units for display, goodie bags & Chick-Fil-A will be handing out small boxes of chicken nuggets (while supplies last).

To view the event flyer click here.

A police pursuit started in Santa Ana and ended fatally in San Diego County

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A police pursuit that started with a traffic stop in Santa Ana, just before midnight last night, ended with the fatal shooting of the suspect by CHP officers in San Diego.

The incident began with SAPD police officers pulling the suspect over near 1st and Fairview for a traffic violation. But the driver refused to stop and instead got onto the 5 Freeway and headed south.

As the chase entered San Diego County, local authorities took over the pursuit which ended on the 805 Freeway in Chula Vista, according to ABC.

The pursuit ended in Chula Vista on southbound Interstate 805, just north of Orange Avenue, according to NBC.

CHP officers could be seen taking cover behind their vehicles and pointing their weapons toward the stopped car. Police gave commands to the driver over a loudspeaker, according to Fox News.

At some point, CHP says officers opened fire on the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to ABC 10 News.

The suspect has not yet been identified.

The SAPD seized four handguns and ammo late on Friday night

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SAPD police officers involved in the coordinated Operation Impact Street Violence program seized more guns late on Friday night from suspects who were not named, according to an SAPD Tweet.

The seized guns included:

  • a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun
  • a loaded 9 mm handgun
  • a loaded semi-auto 9mm handgun
  • a loaded .45 cal handgun & additional .45 cal ammo

The location of the seizure was not announced. It is also not clear what charges the suspects might be facing.

The SAPD was awarded a $482K grant for traffic safety

Posted on by Posted in California, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAPD, Traffic Leave a comment

Santa Ana, Calif. – The safety of everyone traveling is the focus of a grant awarded to the Santa Ana Police Department. The $482,700 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) will assist in the Santa Ana Police Department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Santa Ana roads.

“The City of Santa Ana is at the forefront in addressing traffic safety,” Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin said. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The one-year grant is for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:

• Patrols with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
• DUI / Driver License checkpoints with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
• Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes.
• Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

“Through education and behavior changes, we hope to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all road users in our community,” Chief David Valentin said. “Vehicular and pedestrian safety is one of our community’s highest priorities”.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The SAPD has arrested the woman who stole an Amazon delivery van

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The wanted suspect in the 07/31/2020 vehicle theft of an Amazon delivery van has been identified and arrested.

Suspect Description: Hispanic, Female, light skin, 20-30 years old, medium build, brown hair, and wearing a grey shirt and black leggings.

On 07/31/2020, at approximately 3:10 PM, an Amazon driver reported that his Amazon delivery van was stolen while delivering a package in the area of Civic Center Drive and Pacific Avenue.

While making a delivery, the victim saw a female drive away in his van from the area. After the theft, Santa Ana Police Officers located the van unoccupied in the area of 5th Street and Nantucket Place. Video surveillance captured the female park the van in the street and running away from it.

Anyone with information on suspect’s identity or whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Romero at (714) 245-8529 or BRomero@santa-ana.org

The SAPD arrested several armed gang suspects for felony violations

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, Guns, Santa Ana, SAPD 3 Comments

While conducting patrol checks this past weekend in different areas of Santa Ana after an increase in gang activity, SAPD police officers seized the following, according to their Twitter account:

  • loaded 9 mm pistol semi-automatic w/ 25 rounds inside a high capacity magazine
  • loaded stolen .40 ca. semi-automatic pistol
  • loaded “M&P shield” semi-automatic pistol

All of the suspects involved were arrested for felony violations. The SAPD however did not release their names.

The CHP and the SAPD arrested a man who carjacked a Geek Squad truck

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Earlier this afternoon, a suspect carjacked a Geek Squad truck from the Temecula Best Buy store with an employee in the back of the truck, according to the CHP.

A pursuit ensued with CHP-Riverside and then CHP-Santa Ana took over the pursuit as it came into Orange County.

The suspect eventually crashed the truck and ran into a building at the corner of Tustin and 4th Street.

With assistance from the SAPD and the Tustin Police Department, the suspect was located and arrested.

The SAPD gets a $25K grant to improve traffic data collection and reporting

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Santa Ana, Calif. – The Santa Ana Police Department received a $25,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to streamline processes to collect and report traffic data.

“Accurate and timely data is critical to assessing the safety of our roads,” Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin said. “This funding will help paint a clearer picture of our biggest traffic safety issues.”

“This program is new for 2021 and is an effort to improve how quickly crash data is collected and reported,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “High quality safety data is critical. It’s used to determine the nature of our road safety problems and it informs our actions in how best to address them. We are happy to provide local agencies with the necessary tools to develop or enhance their electronic traffic reporting systems.”

Grant funds will be used to:

• Upgrade existing electronic crash reporting program to the latest version available that includes the capability of exporting complete crash report records to a departmental records management system and the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).

The grant program runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A man was shot and killed early this morning near Madison Park

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, at approximately 12:16 AM, SAPD Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the east alley of 1600 South Cedar Street, near Madison Park.

Upon arrival, Officers located an adult male down in the alley suffering multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. Orange County Fire Authority paramedics responded and declared the man deceased at 12:25 AM.

Santa Ana Police Homicide Section Detectives responded and assumed the investigation. Based on the known facts of the case, detectives believe gang rivalry motivated the shooting. Detectives request anyone with information contact the Santa Ana Police Department or Orange County Crime Stoppers. This case is eligible for the Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Reward Program.

The identity of the decedent is being withheld pending identification by the Orange County Coroner’s Division and notification of next of kin.

Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section (714) 245 – 8390 or O.C. Crime Stoppers 1 (855) 847 – 6227 / http://occrimestoppers.org/