Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: police

The SAPD has arrested a heroin addict suspected in many shoplifting cases

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Hector Maldonado Ibarra, 29, was arrested on Tuesday morning on suspicion of being a serial shoplifter – repeatedly terrorizing retailers and their employees in at least eight Orange County cities for about a year by brandishing a replica gun and swiping high-end merchandise – to feed a heroin addiction, according to the O.C. Register.

SAPD police officers found and arrested Ibarra after they served a search warrant at his Santa Ana home, where they also found thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and drug paraphernalia, according to the SAPD. The stolen and recovered items included Gucci and Michael Kors handbags as well as children’s clothing and perfumes. Continue reading→

Man charged with sexually assaulting three underage girls in Santa Ana

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Jose Manuel Escobar, a 32-year-old man, was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting three underage girls in Santa Ana, according to the O.C. Register.

Escobar is facing six counts of committing lewd acts on a minor younger than 14 and two counts of lewd acts on a minor, along with sentence-enhancing allegations of having more than one victim and molesting multiple children.  Continue reading→

A shooting was reported on Monday night near Santa Ana High School

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On Monday, January 9 at about 8 p.m., SAPD officers were sent to the area of 400 S. Birch regarding calls about a shooting, according to SAPD Case Number 17-846.

When the SAPD police officers arrived, evidence of a shooting was discovered and several subjects were detained resulting in an arrest for the shooting. The investigation is ongoing. Continue reading→

SAPD DUI and Drivers License checkpoint set for Friday the 13th

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: SAPD conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Fri., January 13th, 2017, 9:30PM to 2:30AM, 1400 S. Bristol St.

SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT

The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, January 13th, 2017. It will begin at 9:30PM and is scheduled to conclude at 2:30AM. It will be conducted in the area of 1400 S. Bristol St., in the City of Santa Ana.

The primary purpose of a DUI Checkpoint is to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests. All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. The DMV reports that unlicensed drivers are 4.9 times more likely to cause a fatal crash than a licensed driver. Continue reading→

A juvenile was shot and injured near Lowell Elementary School this afternoon

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At about 3 p.m. this afternoon, January 9, a juvenile male was near a wall in the area of S. Shelton and W. Highland Streets when he was approached by multiple suspects. One of the suspects shot at the victim who sustained a gunshot wound to the upper torso, according to SAPD Case Number 17-814.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for emergency care. Continue reading→

There was a shooting reported near Santa Ana High School on Sunday night

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This Sunday, Jan. 8, at about 10 p.m., SAPD police officers responded to the area of S. Birch and W. Chestnut reference a report of a shooting in the area, according to SAPD Case Numbers 17-750 & 17-746.

When the police officers arrived they located multiple casings in the area. Evidence revealed two males were in the area and they fired multiple shots. Continue reading→

There were two more shootings reported in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 6

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There were two more shootings in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 6. In the first incident SAPD police officers responded to the area of Harvard and Griset Streets, at 4 p.m., after receiving a report about a shooting, according to SAPD Case Number 17-544.

The police officers found a 30 year-old male who had been shot in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital for emergency treatment. Continue reading→

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Santa Ana this morning

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Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Pedestrian Identified In This Mornings Vehicle vs. Pedestrian Fatal Collision

Deceased: Kassim Mohamed Kassim (65) Costa Mesa

On 01/05/17 at 0531 hours, officers were dispatched Code 3 to the area of Warner Avenue and Susan Street for a report of a vehicle vs. pedestrian collision. The pedestrian was reported to still be down in the street. Officers arrived and the found the pedestrian lying in the westbound #3 lane of Warner between the two Susan Street offset prolongations.

The Orange County Fire Authority responded and the pedestrian was transported to a local trauma center in grave condition. The pedestrian succumbed to his injuries a short time later at the hospital. Physical evidence and eyewitness accounts of the event indicate that the pedestrian was attempting to cross Warner Avenue in a northbound direction from the south curb when he was struck by a white Dodge Ram pickup truck that was traveling westbound on Warner. Continue reading→

The SAPD is trying to identify a suspect in the recent Wal Mart stabbing murder

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Suspect in Santa Ana Wal Mart murder case

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: Detectives Request Media And Publics Assistance In Identifying Person Of Interest In 12-18-2016 Homicide

Victim: Dennis Quan Tran (41) Westminster

On Sunday, December 18, 2016, at 2:45 AM, SAPD Officers responded to the Wal-Mart located at 3600 West McFadden Avenue for a report of a stabbing victim. They located 41 year old Dennis Quan Tran from Westminster, CA. Tran had multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Tran did not survive his injuries and was declared deceased.

UPDATE – Based on the investigation, Homicide Detectives obtained surveillance video. The person depicted in the surveillance video is a person of interest in this case. Continue reading→

A man in north Santa Ana was wounded by a stray bullet this afternoon

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Man shot at N. Ross and W. 17th in Santa Ana

An unidentified male in his 50’s was driving at about 2:30 p.m. today in the area of W. 17th & N. Ross Streets, in Santa Ana, when he heard multiple gunshots. The man’s vehicle was hit and he was shot to the upper torso, according to SAPD Case # 17-00336.

The unintended victim was taken to a local hospital and is stable. Continue reading→

A drive by shooting was reported yesterday near Willard Intermediate School

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Shooting near Washington and Ross Streets in Santa Ana

Yesterday, on January 3, at about 8:30 p.m. a resident reported to the SAPD that he saw the driver of a vehicle shoot multiple times at a male Hispanic walking near the corner of Washington and Ross Streets, according to SAPD case number: 17-00252.

No victim was located. Continue reading→

Man who beat up a Lyft driver arrested thanks to a tip from a New Santa Ana reader

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Malcolm May Suspect in beating of Lyft driver

After we reported yesterday that a man had attacked a female Lyft driver at a Santa Ana Arco gas station, beating her so brutally that she lost a tooth, one of our readers gave us a tip as to the suspect’s identity. Our reader identified the attacker as Malcolm May, a 47-year old Santa Ana resident.

We passed along our reader’s tip to a neighborhood leader who gave the info to the SAPD this morning. The SAPD arrested May after receiving the tip. He was booked on robbery and assault with a deadly weapon charges, according to ABC. Continue reading→

A female Lyft driver got beat up at an Arco gas station in Santa Ana

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A female Lyft driver was violently attacked over a parking spot in Santa Ana and the onslaught was captured on camera, at the Arco gas station located near the intersection of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard at about 11 a.m. on Friday, according to ABC News.

The incident began with an argument over a parking space. The victim, Terri, told ABC News that she was confronted by a man who complained about how she had parked at the gas station. Continue reading→

A bartender accidentally set a woman on fire at DTSA’s Lola Gaspar this morning

Posted on by Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Fires, Food, OCFA, Santa Ana 9 Comments

A Lola Gaspar Bartender

An unidentified woman was burned at the Lola Gaspar restaurant located at 211 West 2nd St. in DTSA shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve after a bartender lit liquor on fire, according to the O.C. Register.

Authorities said a bartender poured alcohol onto the bar at Lola Gaspar and lit it on fire, according to ABC News. Somehow the woman’s hair and face caught fire, just after midnight, according to the SAPD. Continue reading→