Crime Time: F-Bombers, Tiki Takers, Beatles Fans, Creepy Molesters and Tawny Kitaen on the Loose

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls–now with more Tawny Kitaen arrests, F-bombers, tiki takers, Beatles vs. Dr. Dre fights and waaaaay too many creepy (alleged) molesters

MONDAY, SEPT. 21

Begging Allegedly Spurs Hate, Boot to the Head After a homeless, African-American man approached two men and a woman and asked for a cigarette outside the Westside Bar on 19th Street near Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa around 7 p.m., the two men chased the homeless man for a couple blocks down 19th screaming racial slurs and threats at him. One of the men is also alleged to have pulled out a knife. When police arrived, one man was seen by officers kicking the homeless man in the head. Telemarketer William Shoop, 24, Charles Durliat, 38, and Jodie Brummett, 21, whose occupations are not listed, were then arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, hate crime and conspiracy to commit a crime. Durliat was additionally held on drug and gang charges.

Rider Finds a Storm A bicyclist was riding in the 1100 block of Mitchell Avenue at Villa Vallerto in Tustin about 7:20 p.m. when two men approached from behind. One pulled the rider down by the shoulders while the second grabbed the mountain bike before both darted off into the night. 
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TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

Cops and FBI Think They Nabbed “Early Bird Bandit” A police officer was patrolling the fair streets of La Habra when the sight of an older model black Pontiac Grand Prix brought back memories of the getaway car description in the Sept. 18 armed robbery of the Banco Popular in the 400 block of Whittier Boulevard. The cop pulled the car over and took the driver to the station. He was placed in a lineup by detectives, and a witness from the bank heist positively identified the Grand Priz driver as the robber. But Ronald Frank Talamantes, 48, was not only tied to the La Habra job. The FBI, believing Talamantes is the so-called “early bird bandit” responsible for six other early morning bank robberies, brought charges against him in federal court, where an Oct. 7 preliminary hearing is scheduled. A conviction could bring 25 years in the federal pen.

Battles of the Sexes in San Clemente A man in the 200 block of Avenida del Mar in San Clemente hit a woman with his motorcycle helmet around 3 p.m. She retaliated by pushing him off his bike. Then, around 6:30 p.m., a man driving near Calle del Cerro and Avenida Vista Montana tossed a cigarette out his car window. That prompted a female driver to honk her horn at him. That prompted him to jump out at a stop and punch her vehicle.

Pitbull vs. Service Revolver: Guess Who Won? Two sheriff's deputies were doing a parole search inside a home in the 10000 block of Rodeo Drive in unincorporated Anaheim at about 5:30 p.m. when a pitbull that had been locked inside a bedroom bolted out at the lawmen. That prompted one deputy to fire his weapon at the dog, who was killed.

Crop Caught by Copter A Los Angeles County Sheriff's helicopter flying over Diamond Bar just after 6:30 p.m. noticed plots of marijuana field near Phillips Ranch Road and Scenic Ridge Drive. The eyes in the sky also spotted five people trying to flee, the area. Deputies from the Walnut/Diamond Bar sheriff's station set up a perimeter and arrested four men on suspicion of cultivating marijuana. They were identified as Sabino Garcia, 31, of Riverside; Homer Aguilera, 22, of Mira Loma; and Anaheim's Benjamin Almazan, 25, and Efrain Almazan, 18. A fifth suspect remained at large. Deputies say they also confiscated 2,399 marijuana plants that were ready for harvest and an elaborate growing system.

False Alarm Police received a report just before 10:30 p.m. of a man with a gun having walked into the Taco Bell at 14042 Red Hill Ave., Tustin. When alarmed officers arrived, the man was standing there in the parking lot, holding his gun while chatting up four other men. Turns out it was a BB gun.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

Making the Rounds Police were called about 5:40 a.m. because someone was firing shots from a gun in the 1400 block of West Civic Center Drive in Santa Ana. Sure enough, when officers arrived they heard more shots ringing out. They then zeroed in on a location where they discovered an unidentified man in his mid-20s “testing his weapon.” He was arrested on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a reckless manner.

It All Makes Perfect Sense Now A woman called sheriff's deputies around 11:30 a.m. to say she suspected her neighbor was pouring soda on her car in the 200 block of Avenida Victoria in San Clemente. Why? Because a few days earlier, the same neighbor had shown up at her door along with 10 friends demanding to fight her husband.

Not Exactly Neighborly Behavior A woman saw a grown man standing outside his home in the 18800 block of East Vine Avenue in El Modena, staring down her 2-year-old son while allegedly exposing and playing with himself. She called a male friend who chased the man back into his home, and then she called the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which discovered the man's description and sick M.O. fit a similar incident involving another young child from four days earlier. Tach Van Truong, 44, of El Modena, was eventually charged with–and has already pleaded not guilty to–indecent exposure and annoying or molesting a child. He was held in lieu of $30,000 bail and deputies put out the word for other possible victims.

Brain Salad Surgery A woman who resides in the 100 block of West Avenida Cornelio in San Clemente called 9-1-1 around 1:30 p.m. asking that authorities call her daughter in Ohio because “a sister had brainwashed her.”

What a . . . Hole A man driving a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban with three children aboard struck a building in the Sycamore Valley apartment complex near Slater Avenue and Ward Street in Fountain Valley around 3:30 p.m. before continuing east on Slater, where the car eventually jumped a curb and hit a mailbox, street sign and an electrical transformer. But the Suburban kept on going, this time north on Ward, where it struck a parked vehicle and fence before coming to a stop. Power was knocked out over a widespread area for 90 minutes, effecting traffic signals along Brookhurst Street, Warner Avenue, Slater and Ward, which all backed up with snarled traffic. None of the children were injured, but the driver, identified as Lance E. Hole, 61, of Westminster, was treated at a nearby hospital before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Hang 'Em High You know Huntington Beach has a lot of racist skinheads, but have they resurrected lynching? That's what an emergency caller must have thought before reporting seeing someone hanging by a rope from a tree behind the Central Library off Golden West Street just before 5 p.m. Worse, several people were standing the tree, watching the spectacle. Officers arrived to find folks engaged in “suspension rituals.”
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

For the Bible Tells Them So Children are so sweet. Some called the Huntington Beach Police Department shortly before 3:30 p.m. to sing, “Jesus Loves Me.”

It's Raining Ammo in Santa Ana A 20-year-old man was walking in the 1000 block of East Grant in Santa Ana just before 9 p.m. when three men approached. One had a gun, whose bullets the shooter decided to deposit into the passerby. One struck him in the shoulder, and he was later taken to a local hospital for treatment. Then, another gunshot victim showed up, apparently having been hit by a stray bullet from the same incident.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

Follow the Bouncing Patrolman Two officers in a patrol car pulled over a 1991 Mazda van with a man driving at Santa Ana and Bond streets in Anaheim just after 2 a.m. The cops got on either side of the van, and when the driver made a quick movement, one officer reached inside and began fighting with the driver. The van then darted off, now with one of the officers sitting in the passenger-side front seat. Their struggled continued, some times at high speeds, before the cop fired his weapon at the driver, who crashed into a parked pickup truck at Bond and Elm streets. The driver, identified only as a 21-year-old parolee wanted on a narcotics warrant, was treated at a local hospital with major head injuries, while the cop sustained minor injuries to his hand and arm.

Deputies Catch 5 Alleged Hate Painters Someone saw kids spray painting up Foothill Ranch Elementary School in Lake Forest around 11 p.m. and called sheriff's deputies. Deputies arrived to find swastikas and racial slurs painted all over campus. They also found a group of teens fleeing toward Foothill Ranch Towne Centre. Two were taken into custody there, two more got popped the next morning and a fifth was arrested later in the day. Three of the suspects are ages 15, 16 and 17 and from Mission Viejo. The two who are over age 18 were identified. They are Dillon John Roots, 18, of Mission Viejo, and Thomson Vo, 19, of Rancho Santa Margarita.

A Dozen Held for Seeking Work A sweep by Costa Mesa Police Department plain-clothed officers resulted in the arrest of 12 day laborers for illegally soliciting work in front of U-Haul Rentals, 2680 Newport Blvd.; 7-Eleven, 2150 Placentia Ave.; and Tom's Place, 799 W. 17th St. City codes bar people from seeking work on public streets and commercial parking areas that have signs prohibiting such conduct. It's been a growing problem since the city-sponsored job center on Placentia Avenue closed amid outcry from immigrant-bashers.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

All Tawny, All the Time Newport Beach police responded to a traffic collision at Bristol Avenue and Campus Street near John Wayne Airport around 3 p.m. and discovered a familiar face. It was 48-year-old actress Tawny Kitaen, who was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or both. The former Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew contestant three years ago entered a drug rehabilitation program after pleading guilty to possessing 15 grams of cocaine. Her messy 2002 divorce from former Angels pitcher Chuck Finley produced evidence of Kitaen's alleged prescription drug abuse.

Battle of the Bands A disturbing the peace call led officers to the 17100 block of Oak Lane in Huntington Beach just before  5:30 a.m., where they discovered several people not only out and about at the early hour but arguing over who sold the most albums: the Beatles or Dr. Dre. The cops told them it was the Beatles and ordered everyone inside.

Lovely Walk Interrupted A man was taking an evening stroll near Main Street and Warner Avenue in Santa Ana when a car suddenly stopped, two men jumped out and approached the man. First they threatened him, then they took his money before driving off. The victim got the license plate number, which led officers to one suspect who was arrested but not identified. His alleged accomplice was still on the lam.

Incoming F-Bombs A caller told sheriff's deputies before 9 p.m. that neighbors partying in the 100 block of La Salle in San Clemente were “cussing, smoking and dropping the F-bomb.” Further, the complainer noted, “There are small children in the neighborhood that do not need to hear the F-bombs.”

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

Tiki Taken A five-foot, hand-carved, tiki statue valued at $300 to $500 was reported stolen at 9:35 a.m. from a yard in the 5100 block of Cheryl Drive in Huntington Beach.

Jacked-Up Carjackers A 33-year-old homeless man near his 1993 blue Nissan Altima in a parking lot in the 700 block of East First Street in Santa Ana and was confronted by two men around 9:40 a.m. and ordered to get behind the wheel. Then men then jumped inside and told him to drive them to a service station. There he was ordered to get gas and continue driving the pair to Mission Viejo. Once there, the driver was ordered out, and then men kicked and punched him, at one point using a stick to assault him before darting off in his car (and home). One scumbag was described as Hispanic, 38 to 40, 5 feet 8, 150 pounds with short black hair. His fellow dickweed was Hispanic, 35 to 40, 5 feet 5 with short black hair and wearing a white T-shirt.

Fruit of the Loon Someone returned from an evening walk just before 8 p.m. to find a man wearing only underwear standing in the bushes in the 20800 block Spindrift Lane in Huntington Beach.

MONDAY, SEPT. 28

Not Beautiful Music for This Guy Sheriff's deputies patrolling Lake Forest around 2 a.m. saw a man walking near Via Del Rio and Calle Otono, seemingly checking car doors to see if they were unlocked. When the patrol car approached the man, he allegedly tried to hide behind a car. He was then stopped, searched and his name was run. It turned out he was on probation and in possession of a Bluetooth electronic device that was allegedly stolen from a car earlier that night. A white van belonging to the man was later found in a nearby neighborhood, and two women were inside. They were released, but a search of the can produced a trombone fitting the description of one lifted the previous week from a car parked in Dana Point. The victim of that crime later identified it as his missing trombone. Fontiene Eugene Cobb, 24, of Garden Grove, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property, and he is suspected in several area car burglaries, according to deputies.

Forecast Calls for Breakup A woman called police just after 6 a.m. to say her boyfriend was pointing a shotgun at her inside her apartment in the 7200 block of Toulouse Drive in Huntington Beach. She later managed to escape the unit before shots were fired. Officers evacuated the four-plex while negotiating with the man to give up, which he did without further incident or injury about an hour later. Matthew Michael Chapman, 30, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in a reckless manner.

Mysterious Circumstances Surround Arrest Costa Mesa police released few details about the 11:30 a.m. arrest of Maynor Manuel Lopez-Barrios, except to say the 39-year-old laborer is suspected of drugging and sexually assaulting someone at an undisclosed location. Releasing more details could compromise the case, cops say. Lopez-Barrios was held on no bail and an immigration hold.