Irvine Man Arrested in Crime Spree of Car Theft, Robbery and Assault

A 23-year-old man went on a crime spree Saturday, forcibly stealing a car, robbing a drug store and assaulting a supermarket customer with a stone before he was held for police by three Irvine residents, police said.

Christopher Scott Tauritz, 23, of Mill Valley, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, commercial burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. He was taken to the Orange County Jail.

Investigator Mike Welch said Irvine police received a report around 3 p.m. that a man had stolen a Ford Granada from a resident in eastern Irvine.

Officers responding to the call received another report of a robbery in progress at the Thrifty Drug Store in the 5400 block of Walnut Avenue.

Thrifty employees later told police that a man ran into the store, threatened a cashier with a rock, smashed the cash register and escaped with $18, Welch said.

The man then ran toward a nearby Lucky supermarket. He struck a customer with the rock and threatened two others before fleeing, Welch said. Neither the customer nor the auto theft victim required medical treatment.