BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Woman arrested on suspicion of auto theft

Laguna Beach Police used a spike strip downtown Sept. 11 to help arrest of a suspected car thief, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Police were alerted at 2:37 p.m. that someone has just stolen a construction worker’s car from the 1300 block of Cliff Drive. About 20 minutes later, Watch Commander Sgt. Jeff Calvert saw the vehicle, a blue Isuzu, traveling northbound on Glenneyre Street in the 400 block. The vehicle was pulled over in the 200 block of Beach Street and many downtown streets were temporarily blocked for the police action, which included laying down a spike strip, which the suspect stopped in front of, Kravetz said.

Stacy Overton, 30, who is homeless, was charged with auto theft and DUI, and held on $50,000 bail. Overton apparently had found the keys inside the unlocked vehicle and took off in it.

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$500,000 jewelry theft alleged at hospital

A 45-year-old woman told Laguna Beach police she is missing $500,000 worth of jewelry after checking into South Coast Medical Center on Sept. 8, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said. Hospital employees said they removed the jewelry and gave it to an acquaintance who had come to the hospital to pick the woman up. When the woman wasn’t released immediately, the man left and came back, and the jewelry could not be found.

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Alleged knife-wielder arrested at Main Beach

A 48-year-old San Diego man, William Thomas Chapman, was arrested at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 9 after allegedly confronting two men at Main Beach with a knife, Kravetz said.

One of the victims called police from his cellphone, and Chapman ran and buried the knife in the sand. Police found the knife and arrested the suspect on a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a knife. Chapman also had a felony drug possession warrant out for his arrest from Van Nuys Court, Kravetz said. No one was hurt in the incident, and the victims and suspect do not know each other.

Student cited for alcohol, marijuana, police say

A 15-year-old female student at Laguna Beach High School was allegedly caught by school staff on the premises with alcohol and marijuana at 8:59 a.m. Sept. 11. Police responded and issued a citation to the student before releasing her to a parent, Kravetz said.

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Couple says they were defrauded in Tennessee

A Laguna Beach couple reported at 10:53 a.m. Sept. 11 that $2,000 in fraudulent checks on their account had been cashed in Tennessee, Kravetz said. The couple isn’t missing any checks, and it appears the suspect made fraudulent checks with their account information on the bottom and passed them in Tennessee.

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Police say young driver in Hummer hits parked cars

A Hummer struck two parked cars at 2:32 p.m. Sept. 12 in the 600 block of South Coast Highway, taking the mirror off one of them and driving away, Kravetz said.

Police located the Hummer in the 100 block of Oak Street and discovered it was being driven by a juvenile male who didn’t know he had been involved in a collision. Apparently, the spare tire rack on the back tailgate of the car had swung open and hit the left side mirrors of the two parked cars, a Cadillac and a Toyota Prius.

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Cyclists collide on trail, both injured

Two bicyclists were injured when they collided at 10:25 a.m. Sept. 13 on a Laguna Canyon Wilderness trail near Laguna Canyon Road and the 73 Toll Road, according to police records.

A 37-year-old man sustained a head injury, and was taken to Irvine Medical Center for treatment. The other victim, a woman, suffered a broken arm. She was transported to Saddleback Hospital.

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‘Bird torturer’ was trying to help pigeon

A man was suspected of “torturing” a bird with a cigarette lighter in the 500 block of South Coast Highway at 1 p.m. Sept. 14. Police determined the man was attempting to burn fishing line off a pigeon’s foot, not harm the bird, according to police records.