Homeless man suspected of striking motorcyclist with hockey stick in Costa Mesa

A 52-year-old homeless man was arrested early Wednesday in Costa Mesa on suspicion of hitting a motorcyclist with a hockey stick, police said.

Police responded to the Arco gas station at 3201 Harbor Blvd. near Gisler Avenue at about 3 a.m. after receiving a report of the assault, Sgt. Bang Le said.

The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was struck in the head and an arm, police said. He reported that his arm was sore, Le said.

The attacker and the motorcyclist didn’t know each other, and it wasn’t clear what prompted the altercation, police said. However, Le said the attacker seemed paranoid.

“He thought people were after him,” Le said.

Officers found a suspect and a hockey stick at a nearby Chevron gas station, Le said.

Christopher Oreski was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Le said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN