On Thursday, April 25, around 1:45 a.m, the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) and Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue (CMFR) responded to multiple calls from the 3200 block of Iowa Street, the 3100 block of Country Club Drive, and the 3200 block of Minnesota Avenue regarding an unknown suspect driving in the neighborhood and sequentially setting trash bins on fire, according to the CMPD.
After the fires were extinguished, CMFR determined the fires were arson.
Around 6:50 a.m., police officers were also called to investigate another arson/trash bin fire that had occurred about 40 minutes earlier in the 3100 block of College Avenue, but had already been extinguished by area residents. There were posts on social media shared by community members about these incidents.
Detectives reviewed surveillance videos and utilized automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to identify the suspect vehicle and ultimately, the suspect: Shaun Michael Cloonan, 45, San Pedro.
The next day, CMPD detectives located the suspect vehicle in San Pedro, where after conducting surveillance, detectives located and arrested Cloonan. Cloonan was booked on five counts of felony arson to property and two misdemeanor counts of drug related offenses.
This is an ongoing investigation in collaboration with CMFR arson investigators. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact CMPD Detective Thomas Scott at 714-754-5120 or email: tscott@costamesaca.gov.
