Costa Mesa Police Arrest Man Whose Crimes Led Three Schools to Shelter in Place
A man from Costa Mesa has been arrested after allegedly assaulting and robbing a woman of her cell phone, threatening to harm people with a knife and gun, and evading police. The incidents took place over the course of two days.
On March 18, 2021, victims of the threatened assault told Costa Mesa police that they were walking out of a business and into an alleyway in the 1900 block of Harbor Boulevard around 11 AM when they saw the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Jose Guadalupe Arce-Dominguez. “[T]hey were laughing as the suspect was passing by on a skateboard. The suspect stopped and confronted the victims and asked what they were laughing at,” states the release. “[Arce-Dominguez] opened a folding knife and threatened the victims and then lifted his shirt and exposed a handgun in his waistband.” He continued skateboarding down Harbor Boulevard after the victims fled back inside the business.
At around noon the following day, in the 2100 block of Placentia Avenue, Arce-Dominguez reportedly assaulted a woman for parking too close to his bicycle. After the woman parked and got out of her car, the suspect punched her, causing her and her cell phone to fall to the ground.
The suspect grabbed the phone and fled the scene, jumping a fence into a backyard. Costa Mesa officers chased after Arce-Dominguez and set up a perimeter in an attempt to apprehend him. They also advised schools near the area, including Estancia High School, Wilson Elementary, and Christian Lutheran School, to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution” until the perimeter was taken down, according to the release. Police were unable to find the suspect that day.
At about 2:30 PM on Tuesday, March 23rd, officers finally located Arce-Dominguez skateboarding while holding an open container of beer around Newport Boulevard and Vanguard Way. The arrested him for an outstanding warrant and booked him into the jail at the Costa Mesa Police Department. “While at CMPD, an OC Probation Officer assigned to the department realized Arce-Dominguez had the same tattoo as the suspect from the robbery on Friday,” according to the release. “Arce-Dominguez was then booked on both crimes and was transported [on March 24th] to Orange County Jail.”
Anyone with information regarding this care is asked to contact Detective Jon Smith at 714-754-5097 or jsmith@costamesaca.gov, or Detective-Sergeant Jose Morales at 714-754-4933 or jmorales@costamesaca.gov.
