Robbery suspects found at Mariners Church

Authorities on Sunday arrested two men suspected in an armed robbery who were tracked to an Irvine church that borders Newport Beach.

Timothy Lavert Bates, 25, and Albert Fletcher Brown Jr., 26, were arrested about 1 p.m. at Mariners Church, 5001 Newport Coast Drive, for allegedly robbing an AT&T store in Laguna Niguel half an hour earlier.

A silver handgun was brandished when the pair robbed the store, in the 27000 block of La Paz Road, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s Department news release.

About 45 iPads and iPhones are missing from the store, said sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock.

Police believe Bates, of Los Angeles, and Brown, of Hillcrest, also stole a Toyota sedan from a Laguna Hills home to use as a getaway car.

The OCSD is investigating the incident, including the location of the missing devices.

—Emily Foxhall

Twitter: @emfoxhall