Man shot with taser after alleged carjacking attempts
By KATHERINE NGUYEN
The Orange County Register

Costa Mesa — An unidentified man police say was responsible for three carjacking attempts is in the hospital after being shot with a taser gun by officers.

The bizarre string of events started with a three-car accident at 11 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Newport Boulevard and 19th Street. From witness reports, police said the man who caused the accident got out of his car and attempted to carjack a cab. An altercation broke out and it is believed the cab driver ran over the man with his taxi.

“That apparently didn’t stop the suspect and he then attempted to carjack a second vehicle,” said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney. “This guy was a one-man crime wave.”

Police received more reports of carjackings further south on Newport Boulevard. At Newport and 18th Street, the same male suspect reportedly punched a motorcyclist before heading over to Newport and Lido Isle. It is unclear how the suspect got there, but police said they found the suspect jumping on parked cars and pulling the windshield wipers off.

Lt. Birney said Newport Beach police then shot the man with a taser the several times. The man, believed to be in his 20s, became unconscious and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. His condition is unknown and the investigation is ongoing. He is likely to be arrested for the attempted carjackings in Costa Mesa and felony vandalism in Newport Beach, police said.