Suspect dead after failed carjacking

Deepa Bharath

An unidentified man suspected of trying to rob and carjack a woman on

Monday afternoon died after he dove into a dumpster while fleeing

authorities, officials said.

Officials, by Monday evening, still had several unanswered

questions about how the incident unfolded and how the man died, Costa

Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said.

The man, judged to be in his 20s, reportedly accosted the victim

in the parking lot of Ralphs supermarket on East 17th Street, he

said.

“The call initially came out as an attempted robbery,” he said.

“It later evolved into a carjacking. We’re still trying to determine

what exactly happened that caused the suspect to run from the scene.”

The man somehow entered a condominium complex behind the

supermarket, ran through the alleys and finally jumped into a

dumpster in one of those alleys, Birney said.

A police officer, who was a few minutes behind the man, stopped

near the dumpster as he heard noises coming from it, he said.

“He looked inside and found this man in there,” Birney said.

The police officer, who was also a hostage negotiator, tried to

open up the lines of communication with the man in the dumpster.

“But he got no response,” Birney said. “So he called for backup.”

Police in the department’s helicopter, flying above the scene,

informed officers on ground that the man appeared to be “flailing,”

he added.

“Our officers could also hear him kicking the sides of the

dumpster and trying to say something, but they couldn’t hear anything

because the sounds were all muffled,” Birney said.

About 10 minutes later, the noises stopped and the man became

“completely silent,” he said.

Almost an hour later paramedics arrived, entered the dumpster,

examined the man and pronounced him dead, Birney said. The Orange

County coroner was still examining the unidentified man on Monday

night.

Police recovered a handgun from the man, Birney said.

“We don’t know if he was wounded, but we did find some blood on

the handgun,” he said. “The man had bulky clothes on, so I couldn’t

see if there was an actual wound.”

Birney said detectives were also interviewing several witnesses

who were giving different accounts.

Tom Hoover, who lives nearby, said he saw the man jump over a

fence and land on an alley at the condominium complex.

“It was, like, an eight-foot drop,” he said. “A silver gun dropped

out of his pants and dropped on the concrete. He picked it up and

continued to run.”

Several residents looked on as police officers worked in their

complex, questioning witnesses and securing the area around the

dumpster.

Neighbor Steve Velez said he moved into the complex barely three

months ago.

“I’m not too shocked,” he said. “Things like this happen no matter

where you are.”

But Sherri Candelaria said she is afraid for the safety of her

children and others.

“It’s scary because you think it’s safe, you leave a door open,”

she said. “Anything could have happened today. This guy could’ve

taken anyone hostage. It makes me nervous, upset, confused and very

worried.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].