Man pleads not guilty to charges in Newport Beach residential burglary that led to police chase

A man arrested following a vehicle pursuit in Newport Beach on Saturday night has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts, including first-degree burglary, according to police and court records.

Michel Andres Quijada, 40, of Canoga Park was charged Monday with one count each of burglary, receiving stolen property and evading a peace officer, involving reckless driving.

He also was charged with one misdemeanor count of possessing burglary tools, court records show.

Newport Beach police responded to a report of a possible residential burglary just after 9:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of Aralia Street.

When officers arrived, they saw a vehicle matching one described by the caller, police said. They tried unsuccessfully to pull over the vehicle, a 2014 Ford Escape, leading to a pursuit.

According to police, two men exited the vehicle and fled on foot in the vicinity of Carob Street, near Jamboree Road. The driver took the vehicle onto the 73 Freeway as officers continued to pursue it, police said.

The driver eventually yielded to police on the 73 south of the Newport Coast Drive exit, police said, and Quijada, the sole remaining occupant, was arrested.

The two other suspects were still being sought, police said.

Investigators determined that burglars had forced their way into the house through a rear sliding glass door, police said.

Several items found in the vehicle, including purses and jewelry, were determined to have come from the residence, police said.

Quijada was booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $50,000, according to jail records and prosecutors. He is scheduled back in court Sept. 17, court records show.

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