Suspect arrested in alleged Costa Mesa Arco robbery

COSTA MESA —Police arrested a Mission Viejo man on suspicion of armed robbery at a Costa Mesa gas station early Tuesday.

Officers arrested Brandon Headstrand, 25, after responding to a 911 call about 1:41 a.m. from an Arco station in the 2600 block of Newport Avenue, Costa Mesa Lt. Rob Sharpnack said.

When officers arrived, they were told that a man in the company of two women tried to steal a pair of sunglasses. As a store clerk tried to stop him, the suspect pulled out a knife, police were told.

Police searched the area and discovered that a man matching the suspect’s description had checked in to a room at the Star Inn down the street from the station, Sharpnack said. Police found Headstrand in a room at the inn. He had a 4-inch knife and was with two women and another man, Sharpnack said.

Headstrand was arrested for armed robbery, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of parole. No one was injured during the robbery.

— Lauren Williams