ORANGE : 2 Arrested After Robbery, 2 Chases

Two Santa Ana men were arrested on suspicion of robbery after they allegedly assaulted a gas station clerk, stole cigarettes and beer, then led police on a chase through the streets of Orange early Monday.

Carlos Luna, 28, and Joe Frank Maldonado, 27, were booked into Orange County Jail. Two other suspects are still being sought.

Four men entered the Thrifty gas station at 291 S. Tustin Ave. about 3:50 a.m. Monday while the station was open for business, Orange Police Sgt. Jim Hudson said. The men pushed and hit the male clerk and grabbed about $65 worth of merchandise--mostly cigarettes and beer that were later recovered, Hudson said.

When the suspects tried to leave, the clerk attempted to lock the door to prevent their escape. But they pushed and kicked him then fled, police said. The clerk suffered minor injuries.

A police officer happened to be driving by as the suspects fled, running a red light, Hudson said. The officer pursued the vehicle, a 1988 Mazda that had been stolen in Fountain Valley, for two miles until it crashed into a pole at Chapman Avenue and Esplanade Street.

According to police, the suspects ran from the car into a nearby residential area in El Modena. Officers blocked off the area and spotted the suspects leaving in a stolen 1979 Cadillac, Hudson said. A second chase ensued, leading officers down the Costa Mesa Freeway to Santa Ana.

Finally, the suspects got off the freeway at 17th Street and pulled over at Deodar and 17th streets, where they gave themselves up without incident, Hudson said.