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Category Archives: automobiles

An SAPD police pursuit led to a collision near Carl Thornton Park

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SAPD police officers tried to pull over a vehicle with two occupants at about 7:20 p.m. in the area of 5th and Laurel Streets, for a traffic violation, on Tuesday,  June 1. But as so often happens in Santa Ana the driver sped off, resulting in a police pursuit.

The driver of the pursued vehicle was so desperate to escape that he ran several stop signs and was driving at roughly 60 mph on neighborhood streets.. The fleeing motorist ended up crashing into another vehicle, then hit a tree as well, near Raitt Street and Segerstrom Avenue, just West of Carl Thornton Park, at about 7:30 p.m.

The person in the vehicle hit by the suspect’s vehicle suffered minor injuries.

The driver and passenger involved in the pursuit were arrested but the SAPD did not release their identities.

A resident tip led to the arrest of a catalytic converter thief in Costa Mesa

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Before 4 a.m. yesterday, the Costa Mesa Police Department received a call from a woman who believed a catalytic converter theft was occurring near a building carport at the 2700 block of Peterson Place. She reported seeing headlights and hearing the sound of a saw being used.

Police officers responded and attempted to detain a man, who quickly got into his vehicle and sped off through the complex. Officers activated their overhead emergency lights and initiated a pursuit.

The suspect attempted to evade and for a short distance, was on the wrong side of the road of Adams Ave. He then abandoned his vehicle at Baker Street and Mesa Verde East and fled on foot.

Officers quickly took the subject into custody.

Officers found an electric saw and a catalytic converter, which was later matched up to a victim vehicle in this picture.

The SAPD helped to issue over 445 citations to Coastal O.C. street racers and motorists with loud vehicles

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On Sunday, May 23, 2021, a joint enforcement operation utilizing over fifty motorcycle officers and other police officers from the Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD), Seal Beach Police Department (SBPD), Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD), Laguna Beach Police Department (LBPD), Irvine Police Department (IPD), Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD), Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) – Cities of Dana Point and San Clemente, California Highway Patrol (CHP) – Santa Ana and Westminster Offices, as well as four investigators from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and four referees from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) participated in enforcement efforts along the entire length of Coastal Orange County as well as freeway and arterial access points to the coast.

The Newport Beach Police Department would like to thank our allied law enforcement and state agency partners for their assistance with this enforcement operation and we look forward to further joint operations in the coming months.

Because of this successful joint operation:

  • 445 vehicles were stopped for violations
  • 348 vehicles were cited for vehicle code violations (which includes loud/modified exhaust)
  • 44 vehicles were inspected on-site for modified exhaust violations by a BAR Referee
  • 16 vehicles were referred to on-site DMV Investigators for possible registration violations
  • 4 vehicles were cited for exceeding 100 MPH
  • 4 vehicles were stopped and the drivers/passengers were arrested for (2) possession/sales of narcotics, (1) unlicensed driver and (1) DUI

In March, the Newport Beach Police Department announced their intention to conduct enforcement operations in Newport Beach through summer focusing on loud/modified vehicle exhaust and street racing due to its growing, negative impact on residents’ safety and quality of life. NBPD Traffic Commander, Lieutenant Damon Psaros, commented that, “In the past few months, the Newport Beach Police Department has conducted several successful operations within the city, but the problem neither begins nor ends at our city limits. Through a partnership with every other law enforcement agency along Coastal Orange County, as well as several neighboring law enforcement agencies with freeway and arterial access points to the coast, this enforcement operation has significantly expanded.”

Those allied law enforcement agencies joining our loud/modified vehicle exhaust and street racing enforcement operations have experienced similar issues in their cities and jurisdictions. These participating agencies have pursued similar education measures as the City of Newport Beach such as issuing press releases, visiting car shows, as well as placing several electronic signboards with messaging in high traffic areas within their cities and jurisdictions to educate the public on vehicle exhaust and street racing laws in California. In preparation for these joint enforcement operations, the Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Division developed and hosted California POST-approved training for allied law enforcement agencies that will participate. The course involves both classroom and hands-on, in-field vehicle inspections under the instruction of referees from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. This training ensures police officers can more readily identify loud/modified vehicle exhaust and other illegal modifications to vehicles to increase their effectiveness in enforcement efforts.

The Costa Mesa Police Department will focus on motorcycle safety enforcement this month

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COSTA MESA, Calif. (May 13, 2021) – The Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) has had extra officers out on patrol this month looking for violations made by drivers and motorcyclists that increase the risk of crashes. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and the Traffic Safety Bureau will continue to conduct motorcycle safety enforcement until the end of the month. With nearly 900,000 registered motorcycles in the state, many road users are going places without the same protections as drivers. Motorcycle riders are 28 times more likely to die in a crash than are vehicle occupants. To help protect you and your family, keep the following tips in mind while driving or riding: 
Drivers

  • Always check twice for motorcycles in your mirrors and blind spots.
  • Use your signal when changing lanes.
  • Never follow a motorcycle too closely. Always keep a safe distance.
  • When at an intersection, allow enough space before turning.

Motorcyclists:

  • Always wear a DOT compliant helmet and protective gear like gloves and leather clothing.
  • Consider adding reflective tape to your clothing to make it easier for other drivers to see you.
  • Keep your lights on at all times, even during the day.
  • Do not assume drivers see you: signal well in advance before changing lanes and watch for turning vehicles.
  • Although lane splitting is legal, the practice is not encouraged at high speeds in free-flowing traffic, or between large vehicles like big rigs and motor homes.

 “Keeping the roads safe for our traveling community is our top priority, and the Traffic Safety Bureau recognizes the need to protect the public by looking for violations made by drivers and riders that puts the public at further risk,” said Sgt. Dan Miles. Funding for this enforcement is provided to CMPD by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The CA Democrats vote to ban the sale of gas powered cars by 2030

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OAKLAND, CA –At its annual convention, held virtually this weekend due to pandemic precautions, the California Democratic Party adopted a resolution calling on the state to implement a 100% Zero Emission Vehicle standard for new vehicle sales by 2030. It was adopted by the Resolutions Committee and can be read here (Resolution 21-04.100, reaffirmed by the party here). It will be sent as an official correspondence by the CDP to Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.

“We are excited that the California Democratic Party is now officially in support of our bold but practical timeline for a clean car future,” said ZEV2030 founder Doug Linney. “It’s time for Democrats across the state to embrace the fierce urgency of our climate crisis and urge our lawmakers to implement the Zero Emission Vehicle standard.”

Leading up to the historic CDP vote, the ZEV 2030 resolution was endorsed by 12 Democratic County Central Committees: Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Solano, and Sonoma County Democratic Central Committees, representing almost a third of the state.

“The Zero Emission Vehicle resolution was a top priority of the CDP Environmental Caucus and brought together environmentalists and green jobs advocates from across the party and around the state,” said Igor Tregub, a co-author of the resolution and the new Chair of the Environmental Caucus. “That our party united behind Zero Emission Vehicles by 2030 is a testament to the consensus we’re forming around climate leadership in California. Now it’s time for the state to act.”

The CDP’s resolution comes on heels of similar resolutions passed in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Culver City, and Richmond. More cities are considering the resolution this month, now with official Democratic Party support. The resolutions are part of a growing campaign organized by ZEV2030 to build support across California to urge state leaders to consider all available means to adopt the 100% ZEV standard by 2030. Inspired by goals established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to prevent the worst case scenario in the climate crisis.

The ambitious goal of California’s ZEV 2030 movement is being bolstered by unprecedented actions being taken across the country. The State of Washington’s legislature just passed a landmark ZEV 2030 standard called Clean Cars 2030. Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan is expected to include historic investments in electric vehicle manufacturing, purchase, and infrastructure. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the phase out of internal combustion engines by 2030. And Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed mandating all new cars sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035, a goal ZEV2030 hopes to accelerate.

For more information on the ZEV2030 campaign, please visit https://www.zev2030.org.

Two suspects arrested in Irvine after a vehicle theft, police pursuit and a standoff

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An unidentified man and a woman were arrested by the Irvine Police on Wednesday following a vehicle theft and a high-speed pursuit that morphed into a long standoff.

The suspects were alleged to have stolen an Irvine resident’s car at an apartment at The Village at Irvine Spectrum, located near Irvine Center and Quasar Drives. The Irvine police received a call about the vehicle theft at about 9 a.m.  on Wednesday. The call reported that his Ford Mustang was taken by the suspects, who were from from Los Angeles County. The victim had recently met the suspects. The responding police officers had just finished interviewing the victim when they spotted the missing car near the complex at 12:27 p.m.

When the police officers tried to conduct a traffic stop the suspects sped off and the driver blew through red lights and was speeding on and off of the nearby 405 Freeway, according to the Irvine Police.

The police officers finally opted to stop pursuing the suspects in order to prevent a collision. They returned to the victim’s apartment building and ended up finding the stolen vehicle running in the complex’s underground parking structure at 12:42 p.m. The vehicle was empty.

The police officers then deployed a drone to survey the area and to announced that the police were searching for the suspects in the area. It turned out the suspects were back at the victim’s apartment. They pistol-whipped the victim and he felt coerced to stay put. He was however finally allowed to leave when the suspects heard the drone’s announcement.

The Irvine Police SWAT team then responded to the scene. They were able to talk to the suspects over the phone, in the apartment. The police officers negotiated for several hours then opted to fire less-than-lethal rounds, which broke the windows at the apartment.

About fifteen neighboring apartment units were evacuated by the police during the SWAT negotiation with the suspects. The police also asked people to stay away from the area, and a portion of Quasar Drive near the scene was blocked off Wednesday evening.

The female suspect finally came out of the apartment at about 8:43 p.m. followed by the male suspect about 10 minutes later. Both were arrested and not harmed.

The suspects are facing charges in connection with outstanding warrants as well as their actions on Wednesday including vehicle theft, the police pursuit and their assault of the victim.

The police have not yet made the identities of the suspects available.

The SAPD is prohibiting the indiscriminate use of vehicle-mounted spotlights by police officers

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SAPD Police Chief David Valentin issued a new Directive, 21-1, on April 27, 2021, regarding the use of vehicle-mounted spotlights by his police officers.

Apparently the Santa Ana City Council and some community members expressed concern to the SAPD about the use of spotlights by police officers. This is in reference to vehicle-mounted spotlights used by police officers to illuminate drivers on the road.

The problem with this practice is that illuminating a driver with a powerful spotlight can prove to be a distraction to the driver presenting a traffic hazard to other motorists as the spotlighted driver can experience momentary blindness or confusion and even lose control of the moving vehicle.

The new Directive states that effective immediately the indiscriminate use of vehicle-mounted spotlights towards the driver of a moving vehicle is prohibited unless the police officers can articulate exigent circumstances necessitating their use.

SAPD police officers may still use the vehicle-mounted spotlights to initiate a traffic or proactive enforcement stop or when the use of vehicle spotlights is necessary for officer safety.

15 street racing citations were issued from April 16-17 by the SAPD and their partner agencies

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The SAPD in partnership with other agencies as part of STEARRD (Strategic Traffic Enforcement Against Racing & Reckless Driving) program conducted additional street racing enforcement.

From 04/16 – 04/17 their enforcement efforts resulted in:

  • (15) Cites
  • (4) Impounds
  • (2) Arrest – Assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer & felony evading and reckless driving

The SAPD has a zero tolerance policy for reckless driving / street racing and has made this issue a top priority. These activities have proven to be deadly and they pose a clear and present threat to public safety on our streets.

Costa Mesa catalytic converter thieves caught red-handed

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Today at about 1:22 a.m., Costa Mesa police officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of Newport Boulevard regarding the sounds of power tools being used.

The police officers arrived and could hear a saw being used in the rear lot of the truck rental business. Officers began to approach the rear lot and saw a man start to run away. He was then detained.

A second man began running toward the fence adjacent to a neighboring parking lot. Officers were already in that parking lot. Once the second subject saw the officers on the other side of the fence, he gave up and was arrested.

A reciprocating saw was located under one of the trucks and pieces of rebar were cut from around the catalytic converter. The rebar had been put on all the trucks because of recent thefts.

The SAPD is cracking down on cruisers again on Easter Sunday

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The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a large-scale anti-cruiser enforcement operation on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. It will begin at 6:00 PM and will conclude at 2:00 AM.

The City of Santa Ana has contended with large crowds, congested roadways, and criminal activity in years past on Easter Sunday. These activities are quality of life issues that impact our residents, businesses, and visitors.

Road closures, lane restrictions, and extra patrol officers will help the Santa Ana Police Department crackdown on the annual tradition of cars cruising on Easter Sunday.

To mitigate these issues, an increased police presence with a zero-tolerance approach along with lane restrictions and road closures will be in effect in the following areas: Bristol Street from 17th Street to Warner Avenue, Main Street from 17th Street to Warner Avenue, and Edinger Avenue from Main Street to Bristol Street.

The temporary closures and restrictions will delay traffic in some areas of the city.

The Costa Mesa Police Dept. is targeting distracted drivers in April

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COSTA MESA, Calif. (March 31, 2021) – April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) encourages drivers to give the phone a break and focus on the road.

Throughout the month of April, CMPD will have additional officers on patrol specifically looking for drivers who violate the state’s hands-free cell phone law.

“When you are driving, give the phone a rest,” Sgt. Dan Miles said. “A driver’s number one focus should be on the road. Anything that distracts you from the task of driving, especially a phone, puts yourself and others at risk.”

According to the 2020 California Statewide Public Opinion Survey, more than 75% of surveyed drivers listed “Distracted Driving because of TEXTING” as their biggest safety concern.

“Not driving distracted is a simple but significant behavior change,” Sgt. Miles said. “The goal is to increase compliance with the hands-free cell phone law to make sure drivers are focused and alert. Let’s share the road and do the right thing to keep the streets safe for everyone including drivers and pedestrians.”

Under current law, drivers are not allowed to hold a phone or other electronic device while behind the wheel. Drivers under 18 are not allowed to use a phone for any reason, including hands-free.

If you need to make a call or send a text, pull over and park at a safe location. Drivers should silence their phones or put the phone out of reach, such as the glove box or trunk.

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

The SAPD and other agencies issued 55 street racing citations from March 19-30

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The SAPD, in partnership with other agencies as part of the STEARRD (Strategic Traffic Enforcement Against Racing & Reckless Driving) program, conducted street racing enforcement from 03/19 – 03/20. The enforcement efforts resulted in:

  • (55) Cites
  • (3) Impounds
  • (2) Arrest

These activities have proven to be deadly and they pose a clear and present threat to public safety on our streets! REMEMBER – The SAPD has a zero tolerance policy for reckless driving/street racing and has made this issue a top priority.

The SAPD is searching for an auto theft suspect who was caught on video

Posted on by Posted in automobiles, Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD, Tustin 1 Comment

On 02/25/2021, the victim’s vehicle was stolen from the 2000 block of S. Cypress Avenue between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM.

On 02/26/2021 at approximately 11:18 PM, the suspect abandoned the victim’s vehicle at the Mobil gas station located at 13872 Red Hill Avenue in the City of Tustin. The victim’s vehicle has since been recovered.

Suspect Description: Hispanic, Male, between 25-35 years old, buzzed haircut, mustache, thin build, wearing a dark blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

Anyone with information on the identity / whereabouts of the wanted suspect is asked to please contact, Detective Romero at (714) 245-8529 / BRomero@santa-ana.org

The Tustin Police recovered two stolen vehicles and made several arrests

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This week, officers on patrol located two occupied stolen vehicles and stopped them.

Pedro Sanchez and Eric Rocha were in a stolen Chevrolet Astro Van near Mitchell Ave and Newport Ave.

Sanchez was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, drug offenses, and a violation of his probation terms. Rocha was arrested for possession of burglary tools, drug offenses, and a violation of his PRCS terms.

Gabriel Monsisvais was in this stolen Chevrolet Tahoe near First St and Tustin Ave.

Monsisvais was arrested for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, drug offenses, and driving on a suspended license.

Check out the Car Culture exhibit at OCCCA in DTSA

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The Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is hosting CAR CULTURE, through March 20, 2021. CAR CULTURE is a juried exhibition that pays homage to the hot-rodders, the low-riders, pin-stripers, skate-boarders, devisers and designers of trick bicycles and fabricators of custom motorcycles.

CAR CULTURE celebrates tail fins, roadside attractions, smog-choked freeways — the good, the bad and the beautiful. Everyone has a car story. Start your engines. Pedal to the metal. You’ll be in fast company.

Private gallery visits available by appointment only: info.occca@gmail.com. All COVID-19 Protocols in place – you must wear a mask and social distance during your visit.

Featured Artists: Hugo Almanza, Marea Atkinson, Marla Barrett, Pej Behdarvand, Richard Bohn, Nikita Budkov, Bob Conge, Scott Nelson Foster, Luis Garcia, Dave Hanson, Peter Hassen, Peter Hiers, Tom Lamb, Gregory Martin, John Oleinik, Levon Parian, Mila Reynaud, Rick Rietveld, Gigi Salij, Earl Shepherd, Rhiannon Valenti, Maura Valentine, Vanessa Viruet, Todd Wallace, Michael Ward, Lisa D. Watson, Carolyn Yarnell, Carol Zou.

The Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is located at 117 North Sycamore, in the Downtown Santa Ana Artists Village.