One man caught in botched motorcycle theft

One suspect is in custody and another is at large after two men attempted to steal a motorcycle from a parking stall in the 1500 block of Mesa Verde East, Costa Mesa police said Wednesday.

Luis Escobar, 23, of Huntington Park, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft of a motorcycle after he and another man allegedly tried to steal the bike from a residence. The bike’s owner woke up to the noise and alerted police. The men fled in a van without the bike, police said.

After a brief chase, the men abandoned the van on the 2000 block of Monrovia Avenue and escaped, said Lt. Clay Epperson. Costa Mesa and Irvine police used K-9 units and helicopters to set up a perimeter and Escobar was arrested. The second man is at large and there is no physical description, police said.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].