POLICE BRIEFS

Huntington Beach police were still searching Tuesday for man suspected

of holding three residents against their will and forcing them to aid in

his escape from officers Saturday.

An officer was attempting to stop 46-year-old Garden Grove resident

Robert Darling, driving a tan 1977 Volvo station wagon, for a traffic

violation along Elk Circle at 5:30 p.m., when he reportedly drove into a

residential area around Lilac Lane and Toulouse Drive.

Darling then bolted from the vehicle carrying a .45 Colt semiautomatic

handgun and eluded the officer on foot, police said.

The department conducted an extensive search for Darling, using a

helicopter to survey the area, as well as K-9 units. Only the handgun was

found, but officers were later told by three residents that Darling had

forced his way into their home, held them captive and forced them to drop

him off at a nearby gas station.

Department detectives are continuing to investigate the matter, police

said.

Surf City man arrested for suspected attempted murder

Huntington Beach police arrested resident Donald Matthew on suspicion

of attempted murder after a 911 call led authorities to an apartment in

the 16000 block of Viewpoint Lane last week.

Police received the call alerting them of a possible domestic violence

incident in an apartment at 8:30 a.m. April 13.

Lt. J.B. Hume, of the Huntington Beach Police Department, said

officers arrived to find Matthew’s wife, 35, suffering from numerous stab

wounds. She was taken to a local hospital where she remained in serious

condition.

Matthew, 40, was arrested for suspicion of attempted murder, and

reportedly suffered from hand injuries, police said.

Two children, 11 and 9, were also in the Viewpoint Lane apartment, and

police placed them in the Orangewood Children’s Home until they could be

placed with relatives.

Alleged purse snatchers arrested

One Santa Ana man and two male juveniles are in custody after they

allegedly tried to snatch the purse of a Huntington Beach woman last

week.

Lt. Bill Peterson, of the Huntington Beach Police Department, said the

female resident, whose name was not released, was in an Albertson’s

parking lot in the 7000 block of Yorktown Ave. at 2 p.m. April 18 when

the thieves struck.

“The woman was putting her purse in the trunk of her car with some

groceries, when a male suspect ran up, removed the purse and ran,”

Peterson said.

Witnesses and the victim, herself, saw the alleged purse-snatcher get

into light blue Plymouth Voyager and took down its license plate number.

The car had been reported stolen from Santa Ana earlier, police said.

A pair of Surf City detectives in an unmarked car followed the

suspects north on Beach Boulevard, east on Edinger Avenue, southbound on

the San Diego Freeway to Euclid Avenue.

Police took Bertil Bautista, 18, of Santa Ana, and the two male

juveniles in the car with him, into custody near the intersection of

Euclid and Ellis avenues, with Bautista’s bail set at $10,000.

Resident shot during attempted robbery

A Huntington Beach man shot in the leg during an apparent attempted

robbery is expected to fully recover while a search continued for his

assailant, police said.

The 33-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was shot in the

upper leg as he arrived home about 11 p.m. Sunday, said Huntington Beach

police Lt. Luis Ochoa.

The victim was confronted by the gunman as he got out of his car, but

he began running toward his residence in the 500 block of California

Street when he heard a gunshot, Ochoa said.

“As he ran, he felt a pain in his upper leg,” Ochoa said. “He ran

inside where his roommate was and the suspect fled.”

The victim was treated by paramedics and taken to UCI Medical Center,

said Ochoa, who described the injury as “a clean wound” expected to heal

without complications.

The suspect, who was wearing dark clothing, was described as 25 to 30

years old, 5-feet 7-inches tall and weighing 180-pounds.

Surf City detectives are investigating the shooting, and ask anyone

with information to call (714) 375-5066.