BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Suspect sought in Sept. 8 assault

Laguna Beach police are asking for the public’s help in locating a suspect in a vicious assault in downtown Laguna that left a Newport Beach man with a broken jaw early on Sept. 8.

The victim, 39, was found at 1:36 a.m. in the vicinity of Laguna and Ramona avenues, unconscious and bleeding from the face, after a reportedly unprovoked attack. The assailant punched the victim in the face and then fled on foot, according to a witness. The victim sustained a head injury and has been released from the hospital, police said.

Prior to the assault, the suspect and two associates had been turned away from the White House Bar/Restaurant, which was closed. While exiting the restaurant, the suspect and his associates were captured on surveillance video.

The suspect is described as a white man, 230 pounds, 6 feet tall, with a South African accent.

Anyone with information as to the suspect’s identity should contact Det. Debbie Kelso at (949) 497-0371. Police are also seeking help in identifying the suspect’s associates, who are believed to be witnesses to the assault.

Man held in purse-snatching

A Long Beach man was arrested at around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 21 on suspicion of stealing a woman’s purse, Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

The victim flagged down a patrol officer while standing in the middle of Catalina Street near El Camino del Mar. A description of the suspect was broadcast, and a man fitting that description was apprehended nearby on Park Avenue.

Jay Richard Faulk, 24, was being held on $50,000 bail in Orange County Jail, according to Sheriff’s Dept. records.

Woman arrested after crashing into police car

Sloppy driving proved to be the undoing of a former dress-shop employee last week.

Alma Rosa Asher, of Costa Mesa, was arrested after stolen jewelry and clothing from the White House/Black Market shop was allegedly found by police in the trunk of her car about 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 21, Lenyi said.

Asher had gone to the store on the 300 block of Forest Avenue, where she allegedly threatened the manager after she was asked to leave the store, Lenyi said.

Driving away, the suspect crashed into the back of a Laguna Beach police vehicle, and police stopped her and searched her car.

In the trunk, police found allegedly stolen merchandise from the shop and arrested Asher on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

City gets funds for police positions

The Laguna Beach City Council accepted $100,000 on Sept. 18 from the federal Citizen’s Options for Public Safety, which provides funds for “front-line law enforcement services.”

The funds will be used for permanent positions in the police department.