Arrested man may be linked to spate of carjackings

An unidentified man arrested in Newport Beach Saturday on a charge of felony vandalism might have been responsible for a string of attempted carjackings earlier Friday evening, police said.

“Based upon the three crimes in Costa Mesa and the arrest in Newport Beach, there is a definite nexus between the times of occurrences and the suspect’s description,” Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Matt Grimmond said. “However, the suspect has not been identified by any victims and/or witnesses regarding the crimes occurring in Costa Mesa.”

The man was transported to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana after Newport Beach Police discovered him covered in blood near the intersection of Newport Boulevard and Via Lido.

Newport Beach Police responded around 11 p.m. Friday to a call that a Corvette had been vandalized nearby.

The man fought with police before being arrested, Sgt. Evan Sailor of Newport Beach Police said.

Costa Mesa Police, made aware of the arrest soon after, were unable to identify the suspect as the man allegedly involved in three attempted carjackings in Costa Mesa before he was transported to the hospital, Sgt. Grimmond said.

Earlier the same evening, in Costa Mesa, a man, allegedly involved in an accident with two other cars and a series of attempted carjackings, was seen heading south on Newport Boulevard, Costa Mesa Police said.

This man, according to Costa Mesa Police, allegedly exited his vehicle after the accident, at the intersection of Newport Boulevard and 19th Street, and attempted to carjack a taxi. He allegedly jumped on the hood of the taxi, and then fell off the vehicle and was run over by it, police said.

He then ran down Newport Boulevard, allegedly attempting to gain access to a second vehicle near the Harbor Boulevard intersection, police said. Again, the alleged carjacking was unsuccessful, and the man continued down Newport Boulevard, police said. Somewhere down the road, his hand was hit on the helmet of a motorcycle rider as the suspect was running in the street, Sgt. Grimmond said.

A third alleged attempted carjacking occurred further south near the Petco parking lot, on Newport Boulevard, which was also unsuccessful, police said.

No weapons were used, and there were no victim injuries in the Costa Mesa crimes, Sgt. Grimmond said.

“He was last seen in the area of Newport Boulevard and 18th Street,” Sgt. Grimmond said.

Neither police department has identified the man, although Costa Mesa Police say they have almost 20 witnesses waiting to identify the suspect for the incidents in Costa Mesa.