Crime Time: Toys 'R Us Jerk-Off, Fake Cops, Gangbangers, Breakdancers and Son of a Real Housewife of OC

It's the Weekly's weekly round-up of local police calls–in Odorama!

MONDAY, JULY 13

Well, This IS Huntington Beach … A man called 9-1-1 to report 15 “cholos” were “jacking” a car near Orange Avenue and Goldenwest Street in Huntington Beach around 2:45 a.m. Monday. Asked by the dispatcher why the caller believed the men were stealing the vehicle, he replied, “Because they are Hispanic.” An officer who responded to the scene found a group of men fixing a car.

Can't Imagine Why Her Hubby Split A woman was minding her own business, driving her black SUV near Main Street and Promenade Parkway in Huntington Beach shortly after 12:30 p.m. when another woman driving a gray Intrepid tried to run the SUV off the road. The SUV driver had no idea as to the identity of the mystery woman, who yelled, “I want my husband back!”

Trash Load Comes With a Surprise Inside A Rainbow Disposal truck driver, who was picking up trash around 2:40 p.m. on Yellowstone Drive in Huntington Beach (where authorities must hate Mondays), noticed smoke coming out of the back of his rig as he reached the parking lot of Ralph E. Hawes Elementary School. Suddenly, there were explosions, so the driver dumped his load right there in the school parking lot. More explosions sounded and projectiles shot out of the trash pile. The Orange County Bomb Squad responded, evacuated 10 nearby homes (the school was unoccupied for summer vacation) and found one unexploded cylinder in the trash pile. It was safely detonated. Fire and police officials scratched their heads over the incident, but were able to piece together than someone hid oxygen cylinders in a recycle cart, and when the contents entered the trash truck  its compactor sheared the top off some of cylinders, causing them to go boom.

Crash Test Dummy A Porsche Boxster slammed into three parked cars along Pacific Coast Highway near West Street in Laguna Beach around 3 p.m. before, witnesses later told police, the driver sped off. The mess left behind left traffic snarled for hours. Christopher Robert Lienhard, 27, of Laguna Beach, was later arrested near West Street Beach on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit and run. No one was physically hurt in the crashes except Lienhard, who police took to Mission Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

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TUESDAY, JULY 14

The Main Reason More Citizens Don't Get Involved A 38-year-old man was
walking in his neighborhood in the 400 block of East McFadden Avenue in
Santa Ana around 2 p.m. when he saw three males tagging a wall in an
alley at 1000 S. Orange Avenue. He yelled at the trio to stop then was
on his way–except he was followed by the taggers and two other men on
bikes. The group surrounded the man and started punching and kicking
him repeatedly, prompting an anonymous witness to call police about an
assault in progress near McFadden and Maple Avenue. When officers
arrived, the man had been stabbed in the upper body, so he was taken to
a local hospital and admitted into the intensive care unit. His
attackers, described only as three teen taggers and two adult men on
bikes, remain at large. The gang unit is on it.

Jeffrey the Giraffe is SO Hot A man sat and masturbated with the door
to his burgundy van open at Edinger Avenue and Goldenwest Street in
Huntington Beach just past 3:15 p.m. Can this item get any creepier?
Why, yes it can: He was getting his rocks off in the Toys 'R Us parking
lot.

At Loggerheads Over Lager When a man tried to walk out of a Pavilion's
grocery store in Irvine without paying for a case of beer around 7:30
p.m., an employee confronted the 6-foot-5, 250-pound beer napper. A
fight ensued, and off-duty Newport Beach police Detective Bob Watts
jumped into the fray and helped subdue the suspect. Ryan William
Prince, 24, of Tustin, was later arrested on suspicion of robbery. The
store employee suffered minor abrasions and a knee injury. Can you say
“worker's comp claim”?

Authorities Get Their Man Daniel Chomina, 28, was arrested on suspicion
of kidnapping, assault with a firearm, first degree burglary, and
possession of a firearm by a felon, among other charges, stemming from
his having hit former ex-girlfriend's male friend with the butt of a
handgun while Chomina attempted to drop his 3-year-old daughter off at
the ex's Lake Forest house–a case mentioned here last week. The
suspect, who was held in lieu of $250,000 bail, turns out to be quite
the piece of work. The Garden Grove resident has been convicted over
the past decade of several charges, including driving under the
influence, drinking in public, drug possession and sale and
transportation of a controlled substance. And on July 6, Chomina pleaded guilty to making telephone calls with
the intent to annoy, which drew three years of probation and 10
weekends in jail. He now faces a maximum sentence of 25 years behind
bars.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

Cagney N Lacey They Weren't A woman knocked on the door of a home
in the 11300 block of Reagan Street in Los Alamitos around 1:45 p.m.
She told the man who answered that a drug bust had taken place earlier
in the day and there may still be drugs in his backyard. After showing
him her badge, the woman was allowed inside to follow him to the back.
But then he discovered another woman in his bedroom, rummaging through
his stuff. She seemed startled, and the pair quickly split. Officers
arrived to inform the man, no, there was no drug bust nor had any of
their personnel been dispatched to look for drugs in his back yard. The
fake cops were described as white, 30 to 40 years old, tall and
heavyset. They left the area in a dark SUV.

Must've Found Religion A BMW crashed into a wall and a light pole near
Huntington Beach Hospital at Talbert Avenue and Beach Boulevard just
after 3 p.m. The driver then got out and ran. Police called the
Beemer's registered owner, who said his car had been stolen earlier
near Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. But later he admitted
to being the one who crashed the vehicle. He was popped for DUI.

If It's OC Fair Time, It's OC Fair Crime Time A man came up behind two
women outside Hussong's Cantina at the fairgrounds during the night and
groped one's bottom. The gals whipped around to confront him, and a
fight broke out. During the fracas, a second man punched one woman.
When officers arrived, two men fleeing the scene were chased briefly
before they were arrested, along with the alleged groper. Let's see if
we can keep them all straight: Ricardo Herrera, 23, of Bell Gardens,
was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery; Ralph Chapa, 30, of Los
Angeles, was held on suspicion of assault, battery and resisting
arrest; and Fernando Sanchez of Los Angeles, was popped for allegedly
delaying a peace officer.

Masked Men Make Escape A man carrying a rifle and another with a
handgun entered JJ's Liquor, 2238 Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, around
11:45 p.m. and ordered one employee to lie down while telling a second
worker to open the cash register. The employees did as told, and the
gunmen fled with some cash and were later seen driving away in a
foreign sedan. The rifleman's face was covered with a black bandana
with skulls. He was described as 5-foot-8 to 6 feet with a thin build
and wearing a long white T-shirt. His partner, who wore a white
camouflage mask, was about 5-feet-9 wearing an orange long-sleeve shirt.

THURSDAY, JULY 16

Stop and Robbers on Quite a Spree Two men who robbed an Anaheim
7-Eleven store at knifepoint early in the morning may be responsible
for two more the same morning in Santa Ana and up to a dozen more in
Orange and Los Angeles counties over the past month. Among the other
towns hit have been Fullerton, Placentia, La Palma, Yorba Linda, San
Clemente and Huntington Beach. Basically, they enter the stores, a
knife is whipped out, the clerk hands them their money and they leave.
At least one employee was left with minor injuries. A dark colored
pickup truck may have been used in their escape. Surveillance videos
show the man with the knife is a light-skinned white who is 18 to 25,
5-feet-4 to 5-feet-9 with a medium build and a mustache or goatee. He
wears a dark hooded sweatshirt, as does his partner.

The Real Arrest of a Real Son of a Real Housewife of Orange County
During a routine probation check of Josh Waring, the son of one of the
stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County, deputies allegedly found
drug paraphernalia in his home in the 26000 block of Marguerite Parkway
in Mission Viejo around 2:30 p.m. He was arrested on suspicion of
possession of drug paraphernalia and violating his probation and taken
to county jail. He was released from the same jail in February after
serving a 240-day sentence for possession of heroin and Ecstasy with
intent to sell after famously being turned in by his mom, Lauri Waring.

Putting the “Bang” in Gangbanging The two suspected gang members
confronted each just after 4:15 p.m. in the parking lot of a market at
3800 W. McFadden Ave. in Santa Ana. They apparently exchanged words
other than pleasantries before parting. Well, one of the men thought
they had parted. The second was actually behind him, with a gun, which
he fired several times into the first guy's upper body. He was taken
the hospital. Police caught the man they identified as the shooter
after a short chase and Tasering in the parking lot of the California
Palms Motel, 901 S. Harbor Blvd. Juan Valentin Romero, 23, of Santa
Ana, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and possession
of a dangerous weapon. He was held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Double Trouble for Young Suspect A burglar broke into Dana Point
Doughnut Shop in the 34000 block of Pacific Coast Highway just before
11:30 p.m. through a window in the restroom. He pried open the register
but found only $20 inside. About an hour later, someone broke into a
home at the 33000 block of Chula Vista Avenue, taking a purse and
booze. Orange County Sheriff's Columbos got a tip that 19-year-old
Justin Buseth was responsible for both break-ins. He was found sleeping
inside a car near La Cresta Drive and Selva Road, and during his
conversation with deputies it was discovered he was in possession of
some items from the burgled home. Not only that but his clothing
matched that of the burglar in the doughnut shops's surveillance video.
Busted!

FRIDAY, JULY 17

When Breakdancers Outdraw Your Business, You're in Trouble A business
owner at Pier Plaza in Huntington Beach called police around 2:30 p.m.,
upset because of several breakdancers who were blocking a walkway with
their crowds of 200-300 onlookers. It was hurting his business, said
the merchant, whose store one would imagine would be Douches 'R' Us.
 
The Previous Item Was Not the Craziest of the Day in Surf City, This
Was A man called the cops to say he was running with his dog in the 100
block of North 17th Street in Huntington Beach around 5:30 p.m. when a
cat “came after” his dog. He yelled at the cat before noticing two men
sitting in front of the house he was near. They then yelled and threw
beer cans at him, striking him in the stomach. Must be cat lovers.

SATURDAY, JULY 18

Where is the Love in San Clemente? A man called police to say his
five-months pregnant, 22-year-old sister, with her 6-month-old son in
tow, beat him up just past noon in the 100 block West Mariposa in San
Clemente.

SUNDAY, JULY 19

Where is the Love in San Clemente, Parts 2 and 3? A woman in the 100
block South Calle Seville in San Clemente called deputies at 2:10 in
the morning to report her boyfriend threw beer bottles at her. Almost
12 hours later to the minute, a woman in the 900 block East Avenida
Pico called deputies to report her boyfriend hit her, spit in her face
and stole her telephone. Dallas Michael Niggemann, a 20-year-old pool
cleaner, was later jailed in lieu of $10,000 bond.

Young Firebugs Two kids playing with matches were blamed for a fire
reported just before 2:30 p.m. on a cliff below Vista Entrada in
Newport Beach. The blaze eventually burned between two and five acres
of land before Newport Beach and Orange County firefighters got it
under control less than an hour later. The boys were released to their
parents' custody.

MONDAY, JULY 20

Be Wary of Those Bushes A 19-year-old Santa Ana man was driving his
dad's black BMW when he turned into a fast-food resturant parking lot
on South Bristol Street near Segerstrom Avenue. A man then jumped out
of the bushes and pointed a gun at him. The gunman moved into the front
passenger seat while a second man from the bushes slid into the back
seat. They ordered the 19-year-old to drive away. They later had him
stop behind a business and get out of the car, at which point they hit
him with their fists and the gun and stabbed him before fleeing with
the Beemer. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening
injuries. His attackers wre described as 20 to 30 wearing black pants,
black long-sleeve shirts, black hats and black gloves. Around 1 a.m.,
the BMW was discovered partially submerged in a lake at Carl Thornton
Park, 1800 W. Segerstrom Ave.