Briefly in the news

The northbound fast lane on the Costa Mesa Freeway closed for about 20

minutes Thursday afternoon after a female prisoner kicked out an Orange

County Sheriff’s vehicle window and escaped through it, police officials

said.

The prisoner, arrested on suspicion of reckless driving in Lake

Forest, kicked out the squad car’s window at 4:25 p.m., forcing the

deputy driving the vehicle to stop, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department

official said. The prisoner, whose name was withheld, then jumped out the

broken window and ran away, the official said.

The deputy called for backup, and within two minutes the prisoner was

back in custody.

The California Highway Patrol shut the northbound fast lane of the

Costa Mesa Freeway near the San Diego Freeway at 4:47 p.m. and reopened

it at 5:05 p.m., CHP Officer Katrina Lundgren said.

The Sheriff’s Department official said such incidents occur only about

twice a year.

In August, a parolee from state prison tried a dramatic escape when he

broke a Newport Beach police car’s rear window and leaped out headfirst

as the car drove north on the Costa Mesa Freeway. On the way out, his

pants were torn off and he rolled down the highway.

His escape was briefly prolonged because he took control of a catering

truck and kidnapped two women and a 4-year-old child.