Three arrested after car, foot chase

Deepa Bharath

Newport Beach Police officers arrested three people Thursday night

after a brief car pursuit and foot chase zipped through backyards in

a residential neighborhood, officials said.

The incident began near the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and

Mesa Verde Drive in Costa Mesa at about 7:20 p.m. when undercover

officers bought what was said to have been an ounce of

methamphetamine from two men and a woman, said Newport Beach Police

Sgt. Steve Shulman.

“When they realized it was the police, the suspects got in their

car and fled,” he said.

They drove in a white 1996 Ford Mustang around the Mesa Verde area

for about 10 minutes before the driver lost control of the vehicle

and went off the road on Mesa Verde north of Adams Avenue, Shulman

said.

Daniel Lanning, 27, of Anaheim and Chelsea Porter, 18, of Mission

Viejo were arrested a short distance from crash scene. But the search

continued for the third man, James Lambert, 36. Shulman said he was

unsure as to where Lambert lives.

A foot chase ensued with help from Costa Mesa Police officers and

the helicopter jointly operated by Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

police departments.

Officers arrested Lambert at about 11:45 p.m. -- more than four

hours later -- after he was found hiding at a friend’s house in the

2700 block of Peterson Place in Costa Mesa, Shulman said.

He said the pursuit reached speeds of 50 mph at times. No one was

injured during the incidents and no shots were fired, he said. No

traffic collisions or accidents were reported in connection with the

chase.

“We don’t believe any of the suspects were armed,” Shulman said.

Bail for all three has been set at $25,000. Lanning and Porter are

being held in Orange County jail while Lambert is in Newport Beach

city jail.

They have been charged with conspiring to sell drugs and evading

police, Shulman said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.