Police identify dead carjacker

Deepa Bharath

The Orange County Coroner has identified the man who died on Monday

after diving in a trash container to evade police as 25-year-old Adam

Casler of Nevada.

Casler reportedly attempted to rob and carjack a woman in the

parking lot of a Ralphs supermarket Monday afternoon, police said. He

died minutes after diving into a Dumpster at a nearby condominium

complex in an attempt to flee from authorities, police said.

The circumstances in which he began running away from the scene

and how he ended up in the Trash bin are still not clear, Costa Mesa

Police Lt. Dale Birney said.

He declined to comment further stating that the incident is still

under investigation.

The cause of Casler’s death has also not yet been determined, said

Joseph Lucky, supervising deputy coroner.

“An autopsy has been done,” he said. “But it was inconclusive.”

Lucky said a battery of tests, including toxicology tests, will be

done in the following weeks to determine how Casler died. He added

that Casler’s last known address was in Nevada. Lucky declined to

comment on whether there were any gunshot wounds or other visible

injuries on Casler’s body.

Police said on Monday that the call had initially come out as

attempted robbery, but that it later evolved into a carjacking.

Officers spent almost two hours outside the trash bin as they tried

to get a response from Casler.

Birney said that Casler was moving for the first 10 minutes, and

that he was kicking the sides of the Container, but those movements

stopped within minutes.

Paramedics examined Casler and pronounced him dead.

Police recovered a handgun from Casler and also found blood on the

weapon, Birney said.

Investigators are still talking to several people who witnessed

the incident, he said.

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

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@ latimes.com.