Police arrest 3 men in auto burglaries

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Three Santa Ana men were allegedly caught in the act of

breaking into a car early Monday morning and were subsequently arrested

on suspicion of committing a rash of five vehicle burglaries in the north

area of the city, police said.

Jorge Gil, 18, Jorge Bravo-Garcia, 18 and Salvador Rivas-Bravo, 22,

were arrested on suspicion of the vehicle burglaries on Iowa Street and

Gibraltar Avenue, said Costa Mesa Cpl. Tim Starn.

The men are being held in Costa Mesa jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.

They are scheduled to be arraigned this morning.

Starn said a resident in the 1600 block of Iowa Street saw the men

breaking into a neighbor’s car and called police. Officers responded to

the call by surrounding the area and sending a patrol car to contact the

suspects.

The patrol officers allegedly caught two of the men in the act of

breaking into one car and discovered the third man driving the suspect’s

car, Starn said. Upon arrest, police discovered about $4,000 in stolen

property, including car stereos, computer equipment and a palm pilot, he

said. The stolen items were linked to three other break-ins on Gibraltar,

Starn said.

All the missing property was recovered and police are returning the

items to their rightful owners.

Starn said there have been “quite a few” vehicle burglary arrests in

the past few weeks, especially in the north end of town.

Auto thefts have been a problem in Costa Mesa in recent years. In

2000, a report from the state attorney general’s office detailed the

nagging problem for, what is otherwise, one of the county’s safest

cities.

In response to that report, Costa Mesa police joined a county task

force designed to combat vehicle burglaries. The task force constantly

monitors incidents in Orange County and develops enforcement strategies

to counter the problem. Investigators from different agencies then

compare notes and voice opinions at monthly meetings.

The most recent crime statistics showed a 0.4% decline in auto thefts

for 2001. Although the numbers were down, the city continues to see a

more-than-desired amount of auto thefts. Officials said Hondas and

Toyotas are among the most popular targets.