COSTA MESA – Police arrested a man early Sunday, May 14, who they said stole car keys from a house and used them to drive away before hitting another vehicle and fleeing the scene.
Costa Mesa police officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of Tustin Avenue around 6:15 a.m. for a reported hit-and-run involving an unoccupied parked vehicle, Sgt. Matt Selinske said.
The driver fled the area on foot. Shortly after, an officer located a possible suspect and detained him. Joshua Thomas Long, 34, whose last known residence was in Costa Mesa, was subsequently linked to the crash and arrested for leaving the scene, Selinske said.
As officers further investigated the incident, they discovered that the residence of the registered owner of the vehicle that was driven had been burglarized and the ignition key of that vehicle had been taken.
Long was arrested without incident on suspicion not only of the hit-and-run, but also residential burglary and auto theft. He did not use weapons, Selinske said.