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Category Archives: Crime

The Irvine police arrested a man for allegedly killing his wife

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IRVINE, Calif. (May 5, 2021) – Irvine Police arrest 42-year-old Yunlong Bai for a homicide that occurred at a residence on Red Apple in Irvine.

Yesterday at 1:00 p.m., an Orange County Probation Officer received a phone call from a probationer stating he killed his wife and would be waiting for police at his residence. The probation officer immediately notified the Irvine Police Department (IPD) and IPD dispatchers sent multiple officers to the residence with a Code 3 (lights and siren) emergency response.

Officers arrived at the home and located Bai and another male inside. They also located the female victim on the kitchen floor, who had signs of trauma and appeared to be deceased. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) assisted and confirmed the woman had died. The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The victim was identified as 33-year-old Chao Chen. She had been married to Bai for 13 years. IPD detectives determined the second male in the home rented a room and was not involved in the homicide.

Bai was arrested for murder and transported to the Orange County Jail where he is being held on $1,130,000 bail.

If you have any information related to this investigation, please contact Detective John Sanders at 949-724-7233 or email: jsanders@cityofirvine.org

The homicide of a woman led to the arrest of two men in Irvine this afternoon

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The Irvine Police responded in numbers to a neighborhood east of Royal Oak and Eagle Creek this afternoon after a woman was murdered.

Two men were arrested but the Irvine Police did not divulge their names or how it is that they came to be considered murder suspects.

The woman’s name was also not revealed and it may take some time for the cause of her death to be confirmed by the O.C. Coroner.

The Irvine Police did note in a subsequent Tweet that the incident was “domestic related” and there are no other suspects outstanding.

A resident tip led to the arrest of two package theft suspects in Irvine

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Yesterday afternoon, an Irvine resident saw a woman walk up to his doorstep after a package was delivered. She walked away after seeing the resident and got into a waiting vehicle. The resident called IPD and provided the license plate of the vehicle and a description of the female. Officers responded and stopped the vehicle as it was leaving the area. During the investigation, officers located crow bars, shaved keys, a stolen license plate and narcotics inside the vehicle.

The male driver, 38-year-old Cody Boardman, was arrested for possession of narcotics for sale, possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property.

The female, 34-year-old Leah Ferguson, was arrested for possession of narcotics, providing false identification to a peace officer and a misdemeanor warrant.

The Irvine Police Department recommends that you retrieve your packages soon after delivery or have a neighbor pick them up for you to avoid being a victim of package theft.

The Irvine police have identified the suspects arrested after a vehicle theft, police pursuit and standoff

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The Irvine Police Department (IPD) arrested 28-year-old Daniel Ramirez for kidnapping and assaulting a man inside his apartment. His girlfriend, 27-year-old Mallory Arredondo, was also arrested for an outstanding warrant.

Yesterday, at approximately 9 a.m., Irvine police officers responded to an apartment community in the area of Irvine Center Drive and Spectrum regarding a possible stolen vehicle investigation. The victim stated that he met Ramirez and Arrendondo several days prior and they asked to borrow his car yesterday. When he refused, they took his car without permission and had not returned after several hours.

Later in the afternoon, at approximately 12:25 p.m., an Irvine police officer spotted the victim’s vehicle and attempted an enforcement stop. The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed a a short vehicle pursuit ensued. The officer discontinued the pursuit due to the suspect vehicle’s excessive speed and the danger it posed to the public.

A short time later officers located the unoccupied vehicle parked, with the engine running, in the underground parking lot of the victim’s apartment building. Officers made repeated attempts to contact the victim by phone, but there was no answer.

Due to the suspicious circumstances, officers feared the victim was inside his residence and was possibly in danger. Irvine police patrol personnel began to evacuate neighboring apartments and the OCFA was requested to stage nearby to provide immediate aid to anyone injured. A drone was deployed to surveil the area and to make announcements. Following the announcements, the victim exited the apartment and the door closed promptly behind him. The suspects then barricaded the door and refused to come out.

The victim told the officers that both suspects were inside the apartment. He said the male suspect pistol whipped him and was in possession of multiple firearms.

The Irvine SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team responded to the scene and took over the negotiations with the suspects. When negotiations were not successful multiple less-lethal projectiles were used to break the windows of the apartment. Arredondo exited the apartment at 8:43 p.m. and Ramirez surrendered approximately 10 minutes later. Both suspects were detained and Irvine Police detectives took over the investigation.

A search warrant was later served on the apartment a a non-serialized AR-15 assault rifle and two handguns were successfully recovered. All the firearms were in various stages of disassembly. Detectives believe Ramirez disassembled the weapons when officers were negotiating his surrender. Ammunition for one of the handguns was also recovered.

Ramirez was arrested and booked at Orange County Jail for Kidnapping, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Criminal Threats and outstanding warrants. Detectives will request firearm charges be added by the Orange County District Attorney’s office at a later date against Ramirez if appropriate. Arredondo was arrested for her outstanding warrant and she was cited and released from the Irvine Police Department custody facility.

Anyone with information related to this case should contact Detective Jason Renshaw at (949) 724-7244 or jrenshaw@cityofirvine.org.

Two suspects arrested in Irvine after a vehicle theft, police pursuit and a standoff

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An unidentified man and a woman were arrested by the Irvine Police on Wednesday following a vehicle theft and a high-speed pursuit that morphed into a long standoff.

The suspects were alleged to have stolen an Irvine resident’s car at an apartment at The Village at Irvine Spectrum, located near Irvine Center and Quasar Drives. The Irvine police received a call about the vehicle theft at about 9 a.m.  on Wednesday. The call reported that his Ford Mustang was taken by the suspects, who were from from Los Angeles County. The victim had recently met the suspects. The responding police officers had just finished interviewing the victim when they spotted the missing car near the complex at 12:27 p.m.

When the police officers tried to conduct a traffic stop the suspects sped off and the driver blew through red lights and was speeding on and off of the nearby 405 Freeway, according to the Irvine Police.

The police officers finally opted to stop pursuing the suspects in order to prevent a collision. They returned to the victim’s apartment building and ended up finding the stolen vehicle running in the complex’s underground parking structure at 12:42 p.m. The vehicle was empty.

The police officers then deployed a drone to survey the area and to announced that the police were searching for the suspects in the area. It turned out the suspects were back at the victim’s apartment. They pistol-whipped the victim and he felt coerced to stay put. He was however finally allowed to leave when the suspects heard the drone’s announcement.

The Irvine Police SWAT team then responded to the scene. They were able to talk to the suspects over the phone, in the apartment. The police officers negotiated for several hours then opted to fire less-than-lethal rounds, which broke the windows at the apartment.

About fifteen neighboring apartment units were evacuated by the police during the SWAT negotiation with the suspects. The police also asked people to stay away from the area, and a portion of Quasar Drive near the scene was blocked off Wednesday evening.

The female suspect finally came out of the apartment at about 8:43 p.m. followed by the male suspect about 10 minutes later. Both were arrested and not harmed.

The suspects are facing charges in connection with outstanding warrants as well as their actions on Wednesday including vehicle theft, the police pursuit and their assault of the victim.

The police have not yet made the identities of the suspects available.

The Irvine Police are searching for four armed robbery suspects

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IRVINE, Calif. (April 27, 2021) – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) is seeking the public’s help in identifying four male suspects involved in an attempted armed robbery that occurred Sunday afternoon at a shopping center.

On Sunday, April 25, just before 4:00 p.m., IPD responded to the shopping center at Harvard and Main regarding an attempted robbery. According to statements and video footage, a white Mercedes sedan drove past the victim as he walked through the parking lot. The Mercedes stopped in the middle of the parking lot and two males exited the vehicle. Simultaneously, a gray Nissan Sentra stopped nearby and two additional males exited, one holding a handgun in his right hand as he ran towards the victim.

Upon seeing the suspect with the handgun, the victim ran toward a nearby restaurant with the suspect chasing behind him. The victim reached the restaurant and closed the restaurant door. The armed suspect did not enter the restaurant, but joined the other three suspects who gathered near a parked white Range Rover. As the victim sheltered himself inside the restaurant, the suspects approached the passenger side of the Range Rover and appeared to be talking to someone inside. The armed male suspect tapped on the window with the barrel of the handgun and all four suspects ran to the Mercedes and drove out of the parking lot. The Nissan Sentra also drove out of the parking lot onto Coronado.

  • Suspect #1 is described as a male black wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and black athletic shoes.
  • Suspect #2 is described as a male black wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, and black/white athletic shoes.
  • Suspect #3 is described as a male black, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants with a red stripe down the side, and white high top athletic shoes.
  • Suspect #4 is a male black wearing a red/white/blue hooded sweatshirt, blue shorts, white crew socks, and black athletic shoes. He was armed with a handgun.
  • Suspect vehicle #1 is a white Mercedes A220 four-door sedan with tinted windows and a sunroof. Suspect #1 exited the front passenger side and suspect #3 exited the left rear passenger side.
  • Suspect vehicle #2 is a gray Nissan Sentra with tinted windows, a black rear bumper with damage to the left rear quarter panel. Suspects #2 and #4 exited this vehicle as the driver rolled forward from the parking space.

The drivers of the suspect vehicles were not seen during the commission of the crime.

An uninvolved vehicle parked in the shopping center captured video of the crime. An edited version of the video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/SF-31Xajl8I.

At this time it is unknown why the victim was targeted, but it appears that the suspects may have followed him into the City of Irvine from the Los Angeles area. The victim is not an Irvine resident and he was passing through Irvine on his way to another city. It is believed this was an isolated incident and there is no known danger to the community.
The investigation into this case is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Haldor Larum at 949-724-7194 or email: hlarum@cityofirvine.org.

Woman arrested for an alleged string of thefts in Irvine

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IRVINE, Calif. (April 22, 2021) – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has arrested 33-year-old Brittany Curbelo following a string of thefts in the Northwood neighborhood over the last several weeks.

On March 4, the victim of a residential burglary reported that an unknown suspect stole a garage door opener from his unlocked vehicle parked in front of his residence. The suspect used the remote to open the garage door where several items were stolen, including checks and a computer. Video surveillance from a neighbor captured a female with a small dog, who appeared to be checking door handles. Since that time, the same female suspect was observed on video surveillance cameras stealing items from unlocked vehicles and mailboxes on three other occasions in the same area.

On Friday, April 16, an IPD patrol officer made contact with Curbelo at a gas station near John Wayne airport. A male and a small dog accompanied her. After the interaction, the patrol officer reviewed a police bulletin related to the crime series and concluded Curbelo resembled the suspect captured on surveillance video. The following day, she was located at a hotel in Newport Beach and arrested for burglary and petty theft.

Anyone with information related to this case should contact Detective Jonathan Sampson at (949)724-7270 or email jsampson@cityofirvine.org.

Please remember the following crime prevention tips when parking your vehicle: When possible, park your vehicle in a secured and locked garage. If you are unable to park in a garage, park in a well-lit area, remove all valuables, including your garage remote, and lock the doors.

Suspect arrested by the Irvine police after a fatal DUI crash

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Pedro Pantoja Jr., a 29-year-old, was arrested by the Irvine Police on Sunday, April 18, after he was involved in a fatal car crash which he fled from eventually causing a second crash in Irvine.

The first crash happened at about 8:45 a.m. at the 2800 block of Park Ave., near the Costco at the District at Tustin.

David Kawashima, a 62-year-old man from Orange, was killed in the first crash. He died at the scene.

As the Tustin police were responding to that accident the suspect fled. A police pursuit began and it ended with another crash when the suspect north in the southbound lanes of Jamboree Road and collided with another vehicle north of Warner Avenue.

Pantoja Jr. was arrested by the Irvine police on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, causing injury to his passenger while driving under the influence, vehicle theft, a parole violation and evading a police officer.

The Irvine police responded to the second crash scene after their help was requested by the Tustin police as the incident happened on the border of Irvine and Tustin.

Pantoja was hospitalized after he was arrested. A female passenger in the car he was driving was also hospitalized. There were no details given by the Irvine police regarding their injuries.

The Irvine police are requesting that anyone with information on the fatal crash please call Detective Roberto Solis at 949-724-7024. Anonymous tips can also be called in to the O.C. Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.

The Irvine police arrested three mail theft suspects in two separate cases

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IRVINE, Calif. (April 13, 2021) – Yesterday afternoon, IPD officers arrested 35-year-old Joshua Thompson for stealing mail in the area of Portola and Arrowhead. This morning, 27-year-old Oscar Cruz-Guzman and 29-year-old Emily Hernandez were arrested for mail theft in the area of Montanas Este and San Joaquin.

Yesterday, shortly after 3:00 p.m., witnesses observed an adult male in a white Toyota Scion stealing mail from unsecured mailboxes in the area of Portola and Arrowhead. A witness on a bicycle gave chase while another witness called IPD. The bicyclist saw an officer in the area and was able to point out the suspect vehicle as it drove away. The officer stopped the suspect and located piles of mail on the front passenger seat. It was determined Thompson stole mail from 39 different victims in Irvine and Mission Viejo. He was arrested and booked at the Orange County Jail for mail theft with a prior conviction.

At approximately 5:00 a.m. this morning, an officer was patrolling a neighborhood near Montanas Este and San Joaquin when he noticed a vehicle leaving the area. He stopped the vehicle driven by Oscar Cruz-Guzman, and learned he had active warrants for drug related offenses. A search of the vehicle revealed several pieces of stolen mail from two victims in Irvine. A female passenger in the vehicle, Emily Hernandez, had several master mailbox keys in her possession. Hernandez was arrested for mail theft, possession of burglary tools and possession of narcotics. Cruz-Guzman was arrested for outstanding warrants, mail theft, possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia.

Mail thieves typically seek credit cards or mail containing personal identifying information to be used for fraud related crimes. Please retrieve your mail regularly to help avoid becoming a victim.

Irvine man faces hate crime charges after attacking a woman in Tustin

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On April 11, 2021 at approximately 10:42 am, Tustin Police officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of Valencia Avenue regarding a possible assault and battery. Officers contacted the victim and confirmed she had been assaulted by the suspect.

The victim informed officers the suspect made racial comments and punched her in the stomach. During the altercation, the victim pepper sprayed the suspect. The suspect fled the scene prior to the officers arrival.

The suspect was later located by officers and taken into custody without incident. The suspect has been identified as Jauhar Tajuddin Shuaib, a 42-year old resident of Irvine, California.

The suspect was arrested and booked into Orange County Jail for the following charges:

  • CPC 422.6(a): Hate Crime/Assault Based in Whole or In Part of the Victim’s Race;
  • CPC 245(a)(4): Assault with Force likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury;
  • CPC 647.6(a)(2): Sexually Motivated Annoyance;
  • CPC 241.2(a): Assault in a Public Park;
  • CPC 653b(a): Loitering about a Place Where Children Congregate;
  • CPC 415(1): Disturbing the Peace;
  • TMC 7112(h): Abusive or Profane Language Prohibited.

If anyone has any information or video regarding this incident or any unreported crimes that may be related to Shuaib, please contact Detective Eric Haug at 714-573-3246.