Briefly In Public Safety

Forest Ave. property vandalized

Repeated acts of vandalism were reported at a property in the 300 block of Forest Avenue at 9:14 a.m. June 10, Lt. Jason Kravez said.

The caretaker of the property filed a vandalism report after finding graffiti on a brick wall; the graffiti caused $100 in damage. Also, four weeks earlier, a concrete fountain in the courtyard area was damaged when pieces were broken off and thrown into the fountain. That damage was reported at $740, Kravetz said.

Driver jumps curb at business

A 67-year-old woman driving a Jaguar hit a bank of magazine racks at a pharmacy in the 30000 block of Coast Highway at 11:01 a.m. June 10, Kravetz said.

The driver, a Laguna Beach resident, was attempting to park in a stall when she hit the gas and the vehicle jumped the curb. The panicked driver then put the car into reverse and hit a parked Pontiac.

No other damage or injuries occurred, Kravetz said.

Three arrested in vacant home

Three Laguna Beach residents were arrested after police were called to a vacant home in the 200 block of Wave Street on a report that trespassers were inside the home, Kravetz said.

Two of them, a 34-year-old man and 36-year-old woman, were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. The third, an 18-year-old female, was arrested on suspicion of possession of Ecstasy, a controlled substance.

Car flips, kills dog

A 38-year-old Laguna Beach man faces possible felony DUI charges after his Land Rover struck the K-rail on South Coast Highway near Forest Avenue at 5:37 a.m. Saturday, flipped over and landed on its roof, killing the man’s Boxer dog, which was ejected from vehicle, Kravetz said.

The driver was heading northbound and apparently failed to negotiate the turn and hit the barrier, went into the air and landed on its roof in front of BJ’s restaurant. The driver, who was wearing his seatbelt, had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters. He had several broken bones and was hospitalized at Mission Hospital Mission Viejo. No other vehicles were involved, but the collision caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to the exterior of BJ’s and the concrete barrier, Kravetz said.

Building evacuated after electrical outage

A Mylar balloon hit power lines behind 330 Cliff Drive, causing the lines to spark and the building to lose power at 8:02 a.m. Sunday, Kravetz said. The fire department requested that police evacuate the building until Edison arrived and fixed the problem. Edison arrived within 40 minutes and the evacuees were permitted back inside.

Man airlifted after falling from cliff

A 23-year-old U.S. Marine was airlifted from the base of a cliff at Smithcliffs in North Laguna at 5:02 p.m. Sunday after apparently falling 25 feet to the ground, Kravetz said.

Police and fire units, along with an Orange County Fire Authority helicopter, responded and took the victim to Mission Hospital Mission Viejo for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The victim said he was walking along the surf line with a friend when their way back became blocked. He chose to climb the hillside instead of turning around, and slipped and fell from the hillside. He will need surgery on his leg.

Woman held after high-speed chase

A 25-year-old woman led Laguna Beach police on a brief high-speed chase from downtown Laguna to Corona del Mar Monday morning, Kravetz said.

Heidi Marie Lynn Gosselin, of Ocean Springs, Miss., was arrested on suspicion of DUI and felony evading a peace officer.

Police received a call at 10:40 a.m. reporting a woman driver in a silver Honda with Virginia license plates running through red lights in the South Laguna area, Kravetz said. An officer located the vehicle in the downtown area and attempted to make a traffic stop near Ocean Avenue and South Coast Highway, but when the officer turned on his lights, the driver allegedly sped off at a high rate of speed, passing other vehicles on the opposite travel lane.

The chase continued north on North Coast Highway and, between Irvine Cove and Newport Coast Drive, she allegedly reached 80 mph. In Corona Del Mar, she became stuck in traffic and attempted to drive over a raised center divider into opposing traffic, but her vehicle became stuck on the divider.

Officers took the driver after breaking out the driver’s side window. The pursuit lasted from 10:46 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. There were no injuries and her car was the only one damaged, when she became stuck. Gosselin, who had a previous DUI conviction, was held on $10,000 bail.