At about 2:06 a.m. this morning, the Irvine Police Department (IPD) received a call from an off-duty IPD officer who reported a Nissan Altima driving erratically near Jamboree and Barranca.
Thinking the driver may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the officer continued to follow the vehicle while on-duty IPD officers were attempting to catch up to their location.
The Nissan exited Edinger and drove east towards Irvine Center Drive and Harvard Avenue. As the officer exited the Edinger off-ramp, the Nissan turned around and drove westbound in the eastbound lanes of Edinger and confronted the officer at his driver’s door.
During the brief contact, the officer saw movement in the front passenger seat, indicating there may be someone else in the vehicle.
The driver, identified as Los Alamitos resident Solomon Cottrell, began to yell obscenities. To avoid further confrontation, the officer exited Edinger and drove eastbound, crossing over Harvard Avenue.
Cottrell followed and began swerving towards the officer’s vehicle. As the officer passed Hearthstone on Irvine Center Drive, he heard what sounded like a gunshot and saw the Nissan complete a U-turn and drive in the opposite direction.
As on-duty IPD officers arrived in the area, they could not locate the Nissan. However, they did find a shell casing in the intersection where the officer heard the gunshot. Using law enforcement databases, IPD officers were able to identify Cottrell as the suspected driver of the Nissan.
They tracked the Nissan to the Pechanga Casino in Riverside County. With the help of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Cottrell was found in the driver’s seat of the Nissan at the casino parking structure and taken into custody.
The female passenger was initially detained but later released. The weapon believed to be used in the crime was located inside the vehicle and is the same caliber as the recovered casing. Cottrell was booked for attempted murder and transported to the Orange County Jail.
If you have information related to this investigation, please contact Detective Rebecca Steen at 949-724-7170 or email rsteen@cityofirvine.org.
