COSTA MESA : Burglary Suspect Found Atop Roof
Police cordoned off a residential neighborhood early Sunday and used a helicopter and dogs to conduct a yard-by-yard search for a suspected auto burglar, who was eventually found hiding atop a roof.
The suspect, Donald Owen McClure, 29, of Newport Beach, was booked on suspicion of vehicle tampering, petty theft and assault on a police officer. Bail was set at $10,000.
Police Sgt. Karl Schuller said he was on routine patrol at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday when he saw the suspect trying to steal the taillight off a car parked in the 200 block of East 17th Street.
The suspect struggled as Schuller tried to arrest him, cutting the officer over the eye, and fled, Schuller said. Schuller chased the suspect for 500 yards but had to give up after twisting his ankle, he said.
Schuller was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
Other police officers, meanwhile, cordoned off the neighborhood and searched for two hours before finding the suspect on a roof.
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