Purse

SOUTH COAST PLAZA — Costa Mesa police are looking for a man who reportedly snatched a Walnut woman's purse in the Nordstrom parking lot at South Coast Plaza on Friday morning. When the would-be thief grabbed Mariel F. Punsalan's purse around 11:40 a.m. Friday, the 27-year-old woman took off after him, yelling so she could get the attention of people around her. "I just screamed and made a commotion so hopefully people would help me," she said as a member of the Costa Mesa Crime Scene Investigation team gathered evidence near Sunflower Avenue and Plaza Drive.

Bryce Alderton Two adults and a youth were arrested after they allegedly stole a purse from a woman walking into a Costa Mesa restaurant, said a Costa Mesa Police sergeant on Sunday. The woman's purse was recovered, but not before $20 in cash and a checkbook had been taken, said Sgt. Frank Rudisill. Santa Ana residents Marcus Paige, 20, and Maurice Dunning, 19, along with a 17-year-old male, were arrested for robbery, Rudisill said. Paige and the juvenile were booked into Costa Mesa Jail while Dunning turned himself in at Orange County Jail, Rudisill said.

Police are warning the public to look out for man who snatched a woman’s purse Thursday morning at UC Irvine. A university employee was sitting in the lobby of the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering about 10:30 a.m. when a man came up to grab her purse, campus authorities said. When she resisted, the man hit her in the face and ran out of the building, according to a university police news release. The robber was described as a 300-pound black man in his 40s, wearing a black suit, white shirt, pink tie and glasses.

A suspected purse snatcher got yanked off the streets just hours after he stole a woman’s handbag, police said. Terrance Knight, 30, of Santa Ana, was arrested near the El Pollo Loco on Baker and Bristol streets in Costa Mesa Sunday night when an officer recognized him as matching the description of a man who stole a woman’s purse hours earlier, police said. Authorities said a young woman was walking with her friend to a store near Baker Street and Mendoza Drive when Knight came up and yanked the woman’s purse off her arm. He then ran to a getaway car waiting nearby, and he and the other man sped off. Police found Knight a couple of hours later but not the driver.

Man accused of rifling through purse at Newport office building pleads not guilty.Police arrested a Costa Mesa man suspected of rifling through a woman's purse in a Newport Beach office building. Dennis Jay Holeman, 52, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of felony burglary, but police believe he may be responsible for additional, similar burglaries. "We've had a problem with this in the past ... subjects going into businesses and going through employees' purses, which they leave unattended," Newport Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

Sue Doyle NEWPORT BEACH -- A 23-year-old woman whose purse was found at the scene of a crime spree in Dover Shores last week was arrested Tuesday after she called police to report her missing bag, authorities said. Dedra Dianne Moffat, of Newport Beach, was booked on suspicion of burglary and auto theft. She is expected to be arraigned Thursday at Harbor Justice Center. She is being held at Orange County Women's Jail in Santa Ana in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Police are crediting quick-thinking witnesses and a cooperative victim with nabbing a man they say tried to rob a woman Wednesday. Police arrested Douglas Rodney Nicholson, 39, on suspicion of attempted robbery Wednesday after they said he approached a woman at about 10:46 a.m. on Fairview Road between the 55 Freeway and Wilson Street and tried to steal her purse. The woman, 5-feet-tall, 120 pounds and in her early 20s, fought off the much bigger Nicholson’s attempts to snatch her purse and refused to hand over money when he demanded it, said Lt. Clay Epperson.

NEWPORT BEACH - The Professional Surfing Tour of America (PSTA) arrives in Newport Beach for the Rip Curl Pro on Sept. 5-9. A four-star men's and one-star women's event on the Association of Surfing Professionals' World Qualifying Series (WQS), the Rip Curl Pro is expected to attract many of the world's top pro surfers. The pro competition is an Associaton of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series event and the men's four-star field features a purse of $60,000 in which the winner takes $6,000.

Irvine police have arrested a man suspected in 13 workplace burglaries that netted credit cards, wallets and purses, officials said Wednesday. John Steven Gachupin, 47, whose last known residence was in Chula Vista, was arrested Tuesday in Tustin , said Irvine Lt. Julia Engen. Gachupin is believed to have entered workplaces during business hours, stealing credit cards and immediately using them in nearby retail stores , according to Irvine police. He is believed to be involved in thefts dating to 2009.

Irvine police are asking for the public's help in catching a purse snatcher suspected in more than 10 thefts. Police say the suspect is a 5-feet-9 to 6-feet tall man weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, with thinning black hair and wearing casual business attire, according to a news release. He is suspected of stealing wallets and purses dating back to 2009. The most recent incident was reported July 1 of this year. Police said the man immediately uses stolen credit cards after he or an accomplice make off with the stolen property.

Costa Mesa police are asking for the public's help in finding two men who threatened and punched an elderly woman in the mouth and stole her purse at South Coast Plaza Thursday. The suspects were described as in their 20s or 30s with a dark complexion and medium build. One wore a dark jacket and baseball cap, the other a long-sleeved white t-shirt. As the 77-year-old woman got out of her car near Macy's in the plaza at 2:15 p.m., a man threatened her with a gun before punching her in the mouth and stealing her purse.

Newport Beach police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who has been stealing women’s purses when they visit a local cemetery. Police said the thief, described as a Latino between 40 and 50 years old, 5-foot-10, 230 pounds with a heavy build, mustache and dark hair, has committed at least eight thefts at the Pacific View Cemetery in Newport Beach between January 2008 and November 2009. Authorities said he targets women who leave their purses inside their cars and leave their car doors unlocked.

Police are warning the public to look out for man who snatched a woman’s purse Thursday morning at UC Irvine. A university employee was sitting in the lobby of the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering about 10:30 a.m. when a man came up to grab her purse, campus authorities said. When she resisted, the man hit her in the face and ran out of the building, according to a university police news release. The robber was described as a 300-pound black man in his 40s, wearing a black suit, white shirt, pink tie and glasses.

Police have released photos of two people they want to question in connection with a series of thefts in Newport Beach. One of the people is described as a male Latino older than 50, 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds with a scar on the ride side of his neck. The other person is described as a female Latino older than 30, 5-foot-1, pregnant and more than 150 pounds. She has a tattoo on the side of her neck, authorities said. Police said they are not sure if the pair are the people responsible for picking pockets at local open houses and retail stores.

That’s one expensive cup of coffee. For one Mission Viejo woman, a trip to a Corona del Mar Starbucks cost her much more than a few dollars after she found someone had broken into her car. According to the incident report, sometime between 6:45 and 8 p.m. Saturday, someone pried into the woman’s car while it was parked at Starbucks, 7958 E. Coast Hwy. The thief stole the woman’s purse, which had $2,000 in cash inside, according...

Police are crediting quick-thinking witnesses and a cooperative victim with nabbing a man they say tried to rob a woman Wednesday. Police arrested Douglas Rodney Nicholson, 39, on suspicion of attempted robbery Wednesday after they said he approached a woman at about 10:46 a.m. on Fairview Road between the 55 Freeway and Wilson Street and tried to steal her purse. The woman, 5-feet-tall, 120 pounds and in her early 20s, fought off the much bigger Nicholson’s attempts to snatch her purse and refused to hand over money when he demanded it, said Lt. Clay Epperson.

Former Newport Harbor High volleyball star April Ross and partner Jen Kessy lost to Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh in the women’s final of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals season-opening tournament Sunday in Panama City, Fla. Ross and Kessy fell, 16-21, 21-18, 15-9, to Youngs and Branagh, who are staking their claim to the women’s division, which is without Newport Harbor High product Misty May (Achilles’ surgery) and Kerri Walsh (maternity) this season.