BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Corona del Mar woman hit by transit bus

A Corona del Mar woman crossing Jamboree Road at Eastbluff Drive around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday suffered a broken leg Wednesday morning after she was hit by an Orange County Transit Authority bus, according to police.

The bus was southbound on Jamboree Road when the 31-year-old woman ran into the street and was struck by the bus, Orange County Transit Authority spokeswoman Andrea West said.

The woman was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, West said.

Costa Mesa man to stand trial on attempted murder, other charges

The trial is scheduled to begin today for a Costa Mesa man accused of running down a man in an Aliso Viejo parking lot, fleeing the scene and then telling police his car had been stolen, according to Orange County prosecutors.

Morteza Navid Bakhtiari, 27, faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, hit-and-run causing injury and property damage, and falsely reporting a crime. Prosecutors have also added an enhancement to the charges that the alleged victim suffered brain injury and paralysis.

Bakhtiari was reportedly driving his BMW through a parking lot on his way to Opah Restaurant and Bar in Aliso Viejo around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2006, when the alleged victim yelled at Bakhtiari to slow down.

Prosecutors say that Bakhtiari sped up and drove erratically through the parking lot, hitting a parked Mercedes Benz before allegedly deliberately running down the Aliso Viejo man.

Although he’s not confined to a wheelchair, the victim reportedly had permanent injuries, according to the district attorney’s office.

The next day, he reportedly pretended his car was stolen, filing a phony report with Costa Mesa Police. He was arrested that day by sheriff’s deputies, authorities said.

If convicted, Bakhtiari could face a sentence ranging from probation to life in prison with the possibility of parole.