BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Man beaten, robbed by four assailants

Laguna Beach police are asking for help in identifying four men who allegedly beat and robbed a 42-year-old Laguna Beach man at 2:27 a.m. Nov. 30 in the 300 block of Mountain Street, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

The victim said he was walking home when a group of four men he did not know approached and attacked him without any provocation, repeatedly beating him in the upper body and face. Then, after knocking him to the ground, one stole his wallet out of his back pocket. The suspects, described as males in their late teens or early 20s, fled the area after the assault.

Police responded after a citizen called and reported some type of fight in the street.

The victim was taken to South Coast Medical Center and treated for a laceration to the head. The loss is $100 cash and a $400 wallet.

“We are actively investigating this as a robbery and battery case,” Kravetz said. Anyone who saw anything is encouraged to call the detective division at (949) 497-0377.

Teen leads police through North Laguna

A Laguna Beach driver was arrested Nov. 26 after allegedly leading police on a chase through local streets “” including going the wrong way on a one-way street, Kravetz said.

Robert Bartin Wagner, 18, was spotted by a police officer allegedly driving through a crosswalk without stopping for pedestrians at Jasmine Street and North Coast Highway. The officer attempted to stop the car, but the car sped off through residential streets in North Laguna, finally ending up on Monterey Street, going the wrong direction on the one-way street.

The suspect was taken into custody at 9:05 p.m. on suspicion of felony evading.

Gunshots a mystery

Police are still not sure about the origin of gunfire reported at 10:16 p.m. Nov. 26 in the area of Ocean View and West streets in South Laguna “” but they are certain shots were fired, Kravetz said.

Three different people called 911 to report three to five gunshots in the area. Police set up a perimeter in the neighborhood and conducted a systematic search for the origin.

“We narrowed it to one particular residence and met with the occupants of the house, but they told us they had not fired any weapons and there was nothing inside indicating otherwise,” Kravetz said.?

Man arrested on DUI suspicion

A Garden Grove man was arrested on suspicion of DUI and driving without a license at 1:17 p.m. Nov. 27 after allegedly rear-ending a Prius at the intersection of South Coast Highway at Broadway, Kravetz said. There were no injuries.

Philip Anthony Mazzola, 37, who was driving an El Camino, was arrested.

Teen hands over valuables to men

A Laguna Beach teenager reported losing his wallet and cellphone to two men who approached him on the street at 7:09 p.m. Nov. 27, Kravetz said.

The victim, 17, was walking home in the area of Bluebird Canyon and Temple Terrace when two men pulled up in a vehicle and asked if he had a dollar. As he was reaching for it, they asked if they could use his cellphone, and he handed that over. They then asked him what else he had and he replied, “My wallet.” They then asked for the wallet and he provided it. Then they drove off.

The crime is classified as a grand theft, not a robbery, because no force or fear was used in the crime, Kravetz explained.