Suspected Auto Thief Arrested After Standoff
A suspected car thief cornered by Costa Mesa police late Wednesday was arrested after a standoff, police said. Rosendo Pedraza, 22, was arrested about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after police said he tried to steal a 1989 Ford Probe from the parking lot of QSC Audio Products on MacArthur Boulevard.
Costa Mesa Police spokesman Cpl. Garth Wilson said Pedraza drove into a planter while trying to leave the parking lot shortly before 10 p.m. He got stuck and initially refused to leave the car when police arrived. “We suspect he might have been under the influence of a narcotic,” Wilson said.
The Ford belonged to a QSC employee who, with a co-worker, tried to stop Pedraza, Wilson said, but he acted threateningly toward them. “They ran into the building and called us,” Wilson said.
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