COUNTYWIDE : 2 Robbery Suspects Fall Into Ramp Trap

Two men suspected in a spree of late-night armed robberies at hotels in cities up and down Interstate 5 in Orange County were arrested in San Juan Capistrano early Tuesday.

Jimar Damion Eddings, 22, of Los Angeles and Anthony Roshon Meadows, 19, of Lake Elsinore were arrested without incident at about 1:35 a.m. as they pulled their black, 1986 Toyota Celica up a southbound off-ramp to a traffic light at Ortega Highway, Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

Two deputies were posted at the Ortega ramp, which leads to several inns and motels in San Juan Capistrano, because four other hotels farther north on the freeway had been robbed in the course of one hour, Olson said.

When the suspects appeared to be spooked by the patrol cars, the officers moved in, Olson said.

“When they saw the black-and-whites, they backed up,” Olson said. “That keyed our guys.”

One of the suspects was identified by the night manager at the Laguna Hills Holiday Inn, 25205 La Paz Road, the last of four hotels robbed during the night, Olson said. The other man is suspected of driving the getaway car.

The men were expected to be arraigned today in Superior Court on charges of armed robbery of the Laguna Hills hotel but could later also be charged with the other robberies, Olson said.

Irvine and Anaheim police investigators are piecing together the evidence from the various hotels, Olson said.

“We believe it was the same guys involved in the earlier robberies,” Irvine Police Lt. Vic Thies said.

An amount of money reported to be “several hundred dollars” was recovered from the suspects’ vehicle, but police did not find a semiautomatic handgun that had been used in the holdups, Olson said.

“They were seen throwing something from the car before they were stopped, so we’re checking the area today,” Olson said.

The robberies began about 12:44 a.m. at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, 1380 S. Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim, when a young black man wearing a baseball cap entered the office and demanded cash.

“He said he had a gun but never showed it,” said Don Kretschmer, the manager. The robber made off with $428, he said.

Eight minutes later, several blocks away on the north side of the freeway, the Travelodge Hotel at the Park, 1221 S. Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim, was robbed, police said. A man fitting the same description and carrying a gun jumped over the front desk’s counter and demanded cash, said Kathy Morris, the hotel’s general manager.

Just after 1 a.m., La Quinta Inn, 14972 Sand Canyon Ave. in Irvine, was robbed. A young black man wearing a baseball cap and carrying a small handgun walked into the office, demanded cash, then fled on foot, said Austa Miller, who manages the inn with her husband.

Several minutes later and about 10 miles south on the freeway, the Laguna Hills Holiday Inn was robbed by a man with a baseball cap and gun who fled on foot, Olson said.