BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Shattered hotel glass a mystery

Laguna Beach police are trying to determine how the front-door glass got broken at the Hotel Laguna, which is expected to cost the hotel an estimated $6,000 to replace.

The glass was broken at 3 a.m. Nov. 6 and was reported to police at 7:51 a.m.

“We do not know what caused the glass to shatter, and no suspects were seen or heard in the area,” Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

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Woman mugged on South Coast Highway

A woman was robbed of her purse at 11:58 p.m. Nov. 6 in the 1000 block of South Coast Highway, Kravetz said.

The victim was walking southbound on the sidewalk with her boyfriend, when two men in their 20s approached, walking northbound. One of the suspects grabbed the woman’s purse from her hand and ran off with the other suspect. The boyfriend gave chase but could not catch them. Police responded and conducted an area search, but the suspects were gone.

The monetary loss was not known.

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Allegedly drunken, combative cab rider held

A Laguna Niguel woman who was apparently too drunk to tell a cab driver where she lived was arrested at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 7 on suspicion of public intoxication, Kravetz said.

The cab driver called police from Vista del Sol and Coast Highway alleging that his ride, Vanessa Renee Vigoren, 26, whom he had picked up in downtown Laguna Beach, was uncooperative and could not direct him to her home. The cab driver wanted police to take her out of the cab.

Police succeeded in removing her from the cab, and placed her under arrest. On the way to the station, the arrestee allegedly attempted to kick out the Plexiglass partition in the police car, Kravetz said. The partition did not break and Vigoren was not injured.

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Man arrested in attempted break-in

A homeless man who said he was trying to find a place to sleep was arrested at 2:27 a.m. Nov. 8 in the 500 block of South Coast Highway, Kravetz said.

An officer said he saw Russell Lyndon Burger, 47, and two other men trying to force open a locked door of a business in the vicinity.

When the officer confronted them, all but Burger ran off. After he told police he was only trying to find a place to sleep, he was taken into custody on a warrant for being drunk in public.

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Pair cited after allegedly failing to pay cab fare

Two people who stiffed a cab driver out of a $130 fare from Norwalk to Laguna Beach were cited at 12:21 p.m. Nov. 8, Kravetz said.

After the couple left the cab, saying they only had $20, they disappeared into a hotel in the 1000 block of South Coast Highway and the cab driver called police.

Christina Nava, 23, of Corona and Chase Jacques, 22, of Fullerton were each issued a citation for petty theft of services.

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Three rescued from high surf at Aliso Beach

Lifeguards pulled three swimmers out of danger Nov. 9 around noon at Aliso Beach, according to police records.

The swimmers were being pushed toward the rocks. All were rescued safely.

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Burglar escapes with $500 worth of jewelry

A man forced his way into a home through a kitchen window in the 900 block of Park Avenue at 12:51 a.m. Tuesday and escaped with a jewelry box valued at $500, according to police records.

The suspect, who took the box from a drawer, reportedly ran toward Skyline Drive. He was described as wearing dark clothing.