Police: Man arrested for threatening Del Taco employee

COSTA MESA — A Rancho Santa Margarita man has been arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats to a Del Taco employee in Costa Mesa.

Police arrested Steven Elrod, 26, after he went through the fast-food restaurant’s drive-thru about 12:30 a.m. and yelled obscenities at an employee, said Costa Mesa police Sgt. Phil Myers.

Elrod then parked his car in the lot of the restaurant, located at the intersection of Newport Boulevard and East 17th Street. Concerned for his safety, the Del Taco employee called police, Myers said.

When police arrived, Elrod was found asleep in his car.

He was charged with public drunkenness, sleeping in a vehicle and making criminal threats, Myers said.

— Lauren Williams