Golf course employee finds card evidence

Police are looking for information and possibly more cases involving two men they arrested last week and suspect of illegally withdrawing money from other people’s automated teller machine accounts and using their stolen credit and debit card information for purchases.

Friday night, Costa Mesa police arrested Paul Hastings, 36, of San Juan Capistrano, and 29-year-old Rafael Aldaco of Whittier after authorities say they saw the men acting suspiciously in an area known for drug activity.

The two men were seen handing something to each other in the parking lot of the Stater Bros. grocery store off Newport Boulevard and 22nd Street, according to police.

While Aldaco went inside the store, Hastings waited in his car, Det. Eugene Kim said. When police approached Hastings, he sped away in his car, at one point reaching nearly 90 mph, heading toward the Costa Mesa County Club golf course, police said. There he crashed, got out and ran, Kim said.

Aldaco was confronted after he exited the store.

Police say he was subdued with a Taser gun after a short foot pursuit. According to police, there were no drugs found on either person, but they did find several forged ATM and debit cards and a receipt that at least one had been used, police said.

An employee at the country club found several of Hastings’ credit cards, and some that appeared to be fake, on the course the day after the chase, police said.

Hastings is in critical condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and has not been arraigned yet.

Aldaco pleaded not guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit a crime, forging ATM cards and using them.

Anyone with information can call Det. Kim at (714) 754-5364 or e-mail him at [email protected].us.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].