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Man pulls what appears to be a gun in Costa Mesa fight; off-duty security guard arrested

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An off-duty security guard was arrested after a fight captured in a cellphone video escalated when a man pulled out what looked like a gun and pointed it at bystanders early Saturday in Costa Mesa, according to police.

The video, posted on YouTube, shows a uniformed man talking to another man before shoving a third man in a parking lot in the 3000 block of Bristol Street. The latter then punches the uniformed man several times.

A bystander tries to defuse the confrontation, prompting the uniformed man to yell racial epithets and other slurs at him.

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The uniformed man walks to his car and when he returns, an out-of-view bystander says “Oh, he pulled a gun out” while the uniformed man yells at people to go inside.

Witnesses tell the uniformed man “It’s not worth it” and “Just get out of here.” They also tell him “The cops are on their way.”

The Costa Mesa Police Department responded to the scene shortly after 1 a.m. and found a suspect a block away.

James Nese, 24, of Newport Beach was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.

A replica firearm was found in his vehicle, police said.

According to police, Nese does not work in Costa Mesa and was not on duty at the time of his arrest.

Nese was booked at the Costa Mesa Police Department and was later released on $10,000 bail, police said.

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