2 suspects in theft of rental car arrested in Costa Mesa
Two people were arrested early Thursday in Costa Mesa on suspicion of stealing a rental car, authorities said.
Police conducted a license plate check on a 2015 Chrysler 200 near Newport Boulevard and 19th Street at about 1:45 a.m. and found that the car was reported stolen, Costa Mesa police Sgt. Dan Miles said.
When police pulled over the car on the 55 Freeway offramp near Del Mar Avenue, three people were inside, Miles said.
Cody McNicholas, 22, and Christina Gonzalez, 25, both of Huntington Beach, were arrested on suspicion of stealing the car, Miles said.
The other person in the car, Joel Mattinson, 35, of San Juan Capistrano, was not believed to have played a role in the theft and was released.
Miles said he did not know where and from whom the car was rented or when it was stolen. But he said rental cars cannot be reported stolen until they have been missing for 30 days.
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
