This week, officers were dispatched to a parking lot on Harbor Boulevard where they found a man who appeared to be under the influence inside his parked car, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.
Officers spotted two NOS tanks inside the vehicle in plain view, as well as balloons. The man displayed objective signs of intoxication, luckily, the car battery was dead making it impossible for the him to drive impaired. The man, who is not a Costa Mesa resident, was taken into custody without incident. He was found to also be in possession of a paper bag containing suspected illegal drugs.
Nitrous Oxide (NOX, NOS, whippets) has been in the local news lately, due to the ordinance proposed by CMPD to prohibit the sale and distribution of NOS for recreational use.
Recreationally inhaling nitrous oxide is a misdemeanor under State law and can have damaging and long-term negative effects on a person and, in this case, if driving impaired it can endanger the community.