Man’s Tip After Meeting Leads to Arrests

A man driving home from a community meeting on local gang activity Wednesday night spotted a suspicious car and called police, who arrested six reported gang members after burglary tools were allegedly found in the vehicle.

The Costa Mesa resident, whose name was not released to protect his safety, left the meeting at the Westside Police Substation, 567 W. 18th St., just before 10 p.m., Lt. Jim Watson said.

Several blocks away, in the 700 block of Shalimar Drive, he saw a car full of young men. Responding officers, who stopped the car for a traffic violation, found two adults and four juveniles in the car, along with burglary tools, spray paint cans and a replica handgun, Watson said.

All six suspects are from Santa Ana, police said. Jose Manuel Abarca, 18, and Juan R. Castro, 19, were each booked on suspicion of possessing burglary tools and held in lieu of $500 bail, Watson said. The juveniles, whose names were not released because of their ages, were charged with the same offense and released to their parents.

More than 130 people attended Wednesday’s forum, the third in a series to update Costa Mesa residents on how the Police Department is beefing up manpower to fight gangs, Watson said. The strategy includes a pair of officers patrolling neighborhoods on bicycles.

The meetings were organized after numerous residents reported seeing more gang activity in the last two months in the area roughly bounded by Wilson and 17th streets and Harbor and Newport boulevards.

“It was nice to see immediate gratification for one of the residents who had just attended the meeting,” Watson said.