Fullerton woman pleads guilty for her role in 2019 rampage inside South Coast Plaza restaurant
A Fullerton woman pleaded guilty Thursday to felony counts of vandalism and conspiring to commit a crime 13 months after she and a friend stormed a restaurant at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza and smashed several items with a bat.
Laglennda Damona Carr, 25, also pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of wearing a mask or personal disguise for an unlawful purpose and for resisting arrest, according to Orange County court records.
For her role in the incident Carr will serve 45 days in jail and perform 200 hours of community service. Documents indicate she was also sentenced to two years probation and must pay restitution and participate in an anger management program.
The charges stem from an incident that took place Oct. 5, 2019, when Carr and friend Passion Shenay Coleman, 27, of Fullerton, reportedly walked into Maggiano’s Little Italy at South Coast Plaza wearing face paint and hooded sweatshirts and began smashing items throughout the restaurant.
Dennis Busch, 40, was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for using altered debit cards to steal money from ATMs in Louisiana, acting U.S. Atty. Alexander C. Van Hook said.
Coleman, who Costa Mesa police at the time said was a former employee of the establishment, was armed with a bat she used to allegedly smash a television, table settings and plates while yelling at staff members. The vandalism is thought to have caused thousands of dollars of damage.
Carr reportedly followed Coleman into Maggiano’s, where she began yelling and acting in a disruptive manner as customers inside the restaurant fled from their tables. The two women were apprehended by police officers in a nearby parking lot and arrested.
Court records show Coleman pleaded guilty on Jan. 31 to five felony charges, including making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon (non-firearm), vandalism causing more than $400 damage and conspiring to commit a crime.
Coleman’s guilty plea also included five misdemeanor charges, including battery, assault, wearing a disguise for unlawful purposes, brandishing a weapon and resisting arrest. In exchange for her cooperation, she was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation, according to documents.
A mass vehicle takeover of streets in Anaheim and Costa Mesa early Thursday is being investigated in connection with a hit-and-run collision and a fatal crash that caused one driver to be arrested on suspicion of murder.
Coleman was also ordered to pay restitution and participate in Orange County’s “Whatever it Takes,” a voluntary program for non-violent offenders who have been diagnosed as chronically, persistently mentally ill and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Participants in the program must have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or major depressive disorder. Documents indicate Coleman’s progress in “Whatever it Takes” will be reviewed by a judge in a hearing Monday.
Carr is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 19 at 8:30 a.m. for a firearms relinquishment hearing, according to court records.
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