Briefly In Public Safety

Suspect arrested in jewelry store holdup

One of three robbers who allegedly stole an estimated $600,000 worth of jewelry at gunpoint from a Laguna Beach shop Aug. 25 was arrested two days later in Oceanside, and police have identified the other two suspects, according to Laguna Beach police.

Alonso Jose Lopez, 31, of Vista, was tracked by police to an apartment in Oceanside, where he was seen getting into a vehicle at 3:15 p.m. Aug. 27, Lt. Jason Kravetz said. Lopez, who allegedly sped off, was pursued by Laguna Beach and Oceanside police officers to an agricultural area in that city, where a dog tracked him to a shed and he was taken into custody. Lopez is a member of the Vista Home Boys gang in Vista and Oceanside, according to police.

Meanwhile, a Colt gun suspected of being used in the robbery was recovered from an onramp to the 73 Toll Road near El Toro Road on Aug. 28, according to police. The gun, possibly thrown from the suspect vehicle, will be examined for DNA and fingerprint evidence.

Police had zeroed in on the home in Oceanside after locating the owner of the white Ford Fusion the suspects used to escape after the robbery. The owner, a woman in northern San Diego County, initially claimed not to know who had the vehicle, Kravetz said.

Inside the sedan, investigators found two empty gun holsters and ammunition, in addition to clothing and a small amount of jewelry.

The identities of the other two suspects are not being released. The jewelry, stolen from Baca on Forest Avenue, has not been recovered.

Parolee sought after power pole downed

Laguna Beach Police are looking for a man who allegedly fled after his Ford pickup truck crashed into a power pole at 2:03 a.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of Laguna Canyon Road, Kravetz said.

The force of the crash sliced the pole in half and caused live wires to fall across both sides of the roadway.

Witnesses said a bloody man got out of the truck and asked for help. They ran to get towels, whereupon the man said they needed to hide him from police because he was on parole and did not want to go back to jail. When they refused to hide the man, he ran into the nearby brush.

Police identified the owner of the truck as a man who is a parolee.

The lanes were blocked until 6:30 a.m. when Edison was able to replace the pole.

Local youth held in DUI, hit and run

A 16-year-old Laguna Beach boy was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run and DUI at 2:16 a.m. Sunday after striking a parked car near Laguna Avenue and South Coast Highway, Kravetz said.

A witness followed the suspect vehicle and gave police the location of the vehicle in Mystic Hills, where police caught up with the driver and placed him under arrest.

His name was not released because he is a minor.

Homeless men arrested in alleged sex act

Two homeless men “” one a registered sex offender “” were arrested at 12:57 p.m. Sunday after a resident of the 1000 block of Gaviota Drive called police to complain about two men engaging in oral copulation on a neighbor’s front lawn, Kravetz said.

Police arrived and placed the men under arrest on suspicion of a “lewd act in public.”

Richard Bramlett, 65, who is a registered sex offender, and James Carter, 54, were both taken to Orange County Jail.

Cyclist slams into SUV, driver cited

A bicyclist sustained minor injuries after hitting a Ford Expedition that allegedly turned in front of him at North Coast Highway and Cajon Street at 6:27 p.m. Sunday, Kravetz said.

The Expedition was heading northbound and made a right turn onto Cajon in front of the bicyclist, who slammed into the passenger side of the vehicle.

The bicyclist, who had minor abrasions and a hurt clavicle, was taken to the hospital for treatment. The driver of the Expedition is being cited for making an unsafe turning movement, Kravetz said.

Homeless woman reports rape at park

A homeless woman went to Mission Hospital Laguna Beach at 10:03 p.m. Sunday and reported being raped the night before by a homeless man at Heisler Park, Kravetz said.

The victim was examined and detectives will be following up on the case.

DUI checkpoint results in six arrests

A DUI checkpoint targeting southbound drivers on the Coast Highway at Three Arch Bay on Aug. 28 netted six DUI arrests, according to Sgt. Bob Rahaeuser of the traffic division.

Between 9 p.m. and 2:15 a.m., 1,996 vehicles passed through the checkpoint.

Of those, 485 were stopped by officers and the drivers checked for sobriety and possession of a valid driver’s license.

A total of 15 people were given field sobriety tests, and out of those, six were arrested on suspicion of DUI. In addition, four were found be unlicensed or driving on a restricted license.