Briefly In Public Safety

Online acquaintance suspected in call

A Laguna Beach business owner called authorities at 10:11 p.m. May 11 after he believed a man broke into his store in the 1000 block of South Coast Highway.

He received a call from a male suspect from his store’s telephone number, which was closed.

The suspect called the man and said “That’s right, motherf-----.”

The owner said only he and one other person could enter the store.

The owner speculated that it could be a man he met online, who was upset that he was not interested in him. After speaking a few times and cutting off communication, the suspect sent insulting and harassing texts to the man.

Police were called to the scene and noticed no signs of entry. They believe the suspect was well-versed in technology and was able to route the number and make it look like his business line.

No report was taken.

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Woman reported in street with knife

A woman was reportedly in the street, yielding a large knife, in the 300 block of Hawthorne at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.

A neighbor reportedly called her mother, who then called authorities. The woman was reportedly pretending the knife was a paintbrush.

The door was ajar with police arrived and a knife was found on a counter. She was not found at home.

Orange County Mental Health was contacted, and the family was advised regarding a psychiatric evaluation.

— Joanna Clay