2 juveniles are held after Costa Mesa carjacking

Two juveniles were detained in the city of San Bernardino early Friday in connection with a carjacking in a Costa Mesa strip mall this week.

The stolen car, a silver Volvo SUV, was recovered when the juveniles were taken into custody during a sweep in San Bernardino, Costa Mesa Det. Don Holford said.

Police are still investigating whether more people were involved in the carjacking and robbery that happened in the parking lot of Grower’s Direct at 17th Street and Superior Avenue at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Two carjackers demanded car keys and money from a Newport Beach woman who was returning to her car after shopping in the market, police said. One of the men got in her SUV and drove away; a car full of the carjackers’ “friends” followed in a blue sedan, police said.

Witnesses described the alleged carjackers as gang members, but police said they do not believe the carjacking is gang-related, Holford said.

Minutes before the carjacking, police received an anonymous call from someone reporting that a group of people were loitering in the parking lot and threatening people.

When one of the carjackers took off in the SUV, a witness followed for several blocks in another car. The witness was on the phone with police dispatchers but lost sight of both vehicles after several blocks. Police from multiple agencies responded but could not locate the two cars.

San Bernardino city police would not release additional information about the case, citing that it was a juvenile matter.