Drug suspect pulled from Newport Harbor after pursuit following traffic stop

A man suspected of running from a traffic stop, past houses and into Newport Harbor, bringing a large police response to a residential area in west Newport Beach, was arrested Thursday.

Newport Beach police Lt. Bryan Moore said officers tried to pull over the man’s car on Marcus Avenue at about 4 a.m. in connection with a vehicle code violation. The man drove toward 35th Street, got out of the car and hopped over a nearby seawall and into the channel, Moore said.

Several agencies responded, including the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol and Newport Beach lifeguards. Authorities played “cat and mouse” with the man as he swam from house to house, hiding under docks, Moore said. Police pulled him out of the water after nearly an hour and a half.

Police found methamphetamine in the man’s car, Moore said.

Gerald Adam Royster, 37, of Signal Hill was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance for sale, resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license. His bail was set at $25,000.

[email protected]

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD