ATMs at two Target stores in Orange County were burglarized Tuesday and law enforcement officials are investigating whether they are connected considering the similar circumstances.

Police investigate the scene at a target store where an ATM was burglarized in Orange County on April 24, 2018. (Credit: OC Hawk)

The first burglary was committed at the Foothill Ranch Target store in Lake Forest at around 3:30 a.m., when the money-dispensing machine was smashed and burglarized of an unknown amount of cash, officials said.

Surveillance footage shows a trio of people dressed in all black making their way into the store before crowding around an ATM. One person can be seen swinging a sledgehammer against the machine before it's smashed open and they are able to get some cash out of it.

The entire encounter lasted about two minutes and 20 seconds, as the video shows. Just about 30 to 40 minutes later, the second burglary unfolded in another part of the county.

That burglary was in Santa Ana, where another ATM at a Target store near North Grand Avenue and 17th Street was smashed open in a similar way, said Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

“It appears what happened is three suspect wearing all black, faces covered in purple bandanas, pull up in a dark-colored vehicle, get out, use crowbars to pry open the doors of the Target store," he told KTLA. "They then go through the cash registers.”

That ATM similarly had an unknown amount of cash stolen from it in a short amount of time, officials said.

“Obviously a very quick job on the part of the suspects,” Bertagna said, noting that they were specifically looking for cash. “No other items were taken from the store.”

The suspect descriptions both cases appeared to match. Investigators with multiple agencies are looking into whether the incidents are related and have not identified the suspects.

Customers were shocked by the news of criminal activity at the superstore.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe something like that happened," said Santa Ana Target shopper Delila Riley. "This is supposed to be a nice area. This is ridiculous.”

Santa Ana officials moved Wednesday to take legal action against all 33 other Orange County cities, stepping up pressure on their leaders to help resolve homelessness across O.C.

The City Council’s unanimous vote may clear the way for a federal judge to follow through on his threat to ban enforcement of anti-camping ordinances in the county, if elected officials — especially those in South Orange County — don’t start doing their part to provide temporary housing for a swelling homeless population.

In early April, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter warned city representatives that they needed to join forces to find shelter for people removed from the Santa Ana River trail, the county’s largest homeless encampment. Santa Ana, he said, had done more than its share in housing “desperate and vulnerable” populations.

Santa Ana’s mayor said his city long has sacrificed to help the homeless while continuing to carry burdens

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

A man previously convicted of sex crimes was sentenced to 11 years in state prison on Wednesday for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl during a Christmas celebration at a Santa Ana elementary school, officials said.

Raul Martin is seen in an image provided by the Santa Ana Police Department on Dec. 15, 2015.

The incident occurred just a month after Raul Adolfo Marin Martin, 59, was released from prison after serving time for digitally penetrating an unconscious woman, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Martin was convicted of assaulting the girl while she attended a Christmas gift and food giveaway at Davis Elementary School with her family, along with many other families from the neighborhood, in December 2015.

The victim and her 10-year-old brother were waiting in line for presents on a curb while their mother parked the car, according to prosecutors and police investigation.

That’s when Martin allegedly approached the 8-year-old and began talking to her, then proceeded to touch her inappropriately.

Another woman at the event saw the abuse unfolding and confronted Martin. She then stayed with the siblings until their parents arrived and reported the crime to police.

Martin was arrested at the scene a short time later, officials said.

Martin was a registered sex offender at the time but lived in an apartment complex about a tenth of a mile from the school, police said.

A jury found him guilty of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, a felony, on March 16. He was also given sentencing enhancements for being previously convicted of a sexual offense, committing a serious and violent felony while on probation and committing a lewd act on a child he did not know in Orange County, prosecutors said.

The sentence reiterates his requirement to register as a sex offender.

The case Martin was previously sentenced in involved an assault on Sept. 13, 2014.

In that incident, Martin was convicted of digitally penetrating and fondling the breasts of a 29-year-old woman who was unconscious in Garden Grove, near the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Fairview Street, DA’s officials said.

People in the area who saw what was occurring contacted authorities and Martin was subsequently arrested by Garden Grove police.

He pleaded guilty to sexual penetration by a foreign object of an unconscious victim and assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor sexual battery on Nov. 12, 2015.

The 59-year-old received a sentence of five years of probation and one year in jail but was immediately released from custody on time served, prosecutors said.

A stolen vehicle pursuit suspect was taken into custody Tuesday morning after leading authorities on a wild chase through two counties.

A man who led authorities on a wild pursuit through several Southern California highways is taken into custody on May 1, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

A CHP vehicle performed a PIT maneuver on the onramp of the 91 Freeway in Bellflower, finally bringing an end to the lengthy pursuit.

The chase began around 10 a.m. in Santa Ana, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

The driver then led police and eventually California Highway Patrol officers through several highways and surface streets. He weaved in and out of traffic on the 605 Freeway. Early in the pursuit, he was seen throwing items from a window.

At one point two CHP vehicles pined the stolen Audi, in an attempt to stop the driver, but he continued to evade police despite damage to the car. The driver even made a U-turn in a construction area of the highway.

In Bellflower, a CHP cruiser attempted to stop the driver using a PIT maneuver, and the driver eventually stopped on the Clark Avenue on-ramp to the eastbound 91 Freeway.

He was eventually taken into custody without further incident.

No further details about the suspect have been released.

The driver of a stolen Audi flees after two CHP vehicles attempted to stop him on May 1, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

KTLA's Jennifer Thang contributed to this story.

Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana was placed on lockdown for more than two hours as officials investigated a call regarding a man armed with a gun in the hospital, police said.

Officers responded to a call of a possibly armed man at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana on May 15, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

The lockdown was subsequently lifted just after 11 a.m. after the hospital was rendered safe following an intense search, according to Santa Ana Police Department Chief David Valentin.

Officers initially responded to the building, located in the 1000 block of North Tustin Avenue, about 8:15 a.m. after learning that the medical center had received an internal call regarding a man with a gun in the hospital, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

The call, which apparently involved some type of threat, came from a portable phone inside the hospital, said Jeff Corless, who is with the Global Medical Center.

It was not exactly clear where the call was placed, and investigators were still trying to determine the individual behind it.

Police responded within four minutes and began systematically and methodically combing the floors of multiple building, as well as the basement storage facility and the roof, Valentin said.

Authorities did not locate anyone with a gun, nor did they receive reports of any injuries related to the incident, according to the police chief.

The incident police a large law enforcement response, Sky5 aerial video showed. A number of patrol vehicles were parked in the lot, while several armed officers could be seen walking just outside the hospital.

The Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene, and hospital security also aided in the search.

Tustin Avenue was temporarily shut down between 17th and First streets as authorities investigated.

KTLA's Jennifer Thang contributed to this report. 

Santa Ana police on Thursday arrested a man suspected of ramming a police officer's vehicle Thursday morning.

A man suspected of intentionally ramming a police vehicle in Santa Ana surrenders to police on May 17, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Officers responded to the intersection of Glenwood Place and Raitt Street about 6:30 a.m. for calls about a vehicle doing doughnuts and driving erratically in the area.

One of the drivers apparently tried to ram a police vehicle and eventually caused the officer to lose control and crash into a fence near Adams Elementary School, police said.

Police then initiated a pursuit with a truck, which ended shortly after in front of the suspect's home in the 1600 block of Joane Way.

The man was in boxer shorts when he got on the ground and was taken into custody by several officers, aerial video from Sky5 showed.

The man, who has not been identified, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

The officer who crashed his vehicle was taken to a hospital with a complaint of pain, but is expected to be OK.

Two schools near the suspect's home was on lockdown for a short time while the man was taken into custody.

Police had apparently had contact with the man Wednesday when an incident took place at a police station, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KTLA without elaborating.

No further details about the suspect have been released.

KTLA's Jennifer Thang contributed to this story. 

Homeless people who were recently evicted from encampments along the Santa Ana River are now being told to leave the motel they were placed in. Eric Spillman reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on May 23, 2018.

A Santa Ana man was arrested after “engaging in a sex act” with a 7-year-old relative, then sending a photo of the action to his victim, authorities announced on Thursday.

Antonio Davila, a 36-year-old registered sex offender, confessed and was booked on suspicion of child molestation, producing child pornography, possession of child pornography and committing a crime while out on bail, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Davila allegedly sent the image to the child through her Snapchat account, which was created by the victim’s older sibling. The child was using a tablet when her mother saw the photo, police said. The parent took a photo of the image and immediately called the authorities, according to detectives.

Davila had been out on bail and awaiting trial for a separate case of child molestation that happened in September 2017, the Police Department said. The agency said he exposed himself and tried to touch a 9-year-old girl inside a Santa Ana Dollar Tree store.

In 2010, Davila pled guilty to indecent exposure after showing himself to two 15-year-old girls, according to police.

Detectives suspect Davila may have more victims. Anyone with information can call detectives at 714-245-8660 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

A hearing is being held in Orange County Friday to discuss what will happen to the homeless people evicted earlier this year from an encampment along the Santa Ana River. Lauren Lyster reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on May 25, 2018.

A person opened fire through the drive-thru window of a Santa Ana restaurant after witnessing a robbery taking place inside the business, striking the alleged robber, according to authorities.

A surveillance image shows an alleged robber and an employee inside a Santa Ana restaurant on May 26, 2018. (Credit: Cozy Corner Drive-In)

Santa Ana police responded to the Cozy Corner Drive-In at 426 N. Harbor Blvd. shortly after midnight Saturday. Officers determined that a suspect was in the midst of a robbery, when someone in the drive-thru shot at the alleged robber inside the restaurant, Cmdr. Michael Claborn said.

The person responsible for the reported robbery stumbled outside, and was subsequently treated on scene and taken to a hospital, Claborn stated. Authorities did not release the alleged robber’s name, but they said he was expected to survive and that he was arrested on suspicion of robbery, the Orange County Register reported.

The shooter fled the scene, the commander told KTLA. No description of that person was provided. However, Claborn said the shooter was a customer who was waiting for his food in the drive-thru line, the newspaper reported.

No other injuries were reported.

People in favor and against a proposed assembly bill aiming to ban conversion therapy in California gathered during a rally in Santa Ana Tuesday.

Kareen Wynter reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News at 11 on May 29, 2018.

A 20-year-old man was charged on Tuesday with vandalizing a mural in Santa Ana that honors the military service of nearly 200 local Mexican-Americans, officials said.

Eric Alan Cabrera, of Garden Grove, is accused of defacing the “Among Heroes” memorial outside La Chiquita Restaurant on Washington Avenue with blue graffiti the night of March 11, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

DA’s officials said the mural includes men and women who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, although the Los Angeles Times reported that some of those included were involved in campaigns dating back to World War I. It stands in the Logan neighborhood, a part of the city with deep Latino heritage.

In damaging the artwork, Cabrera “disrespected the heroes who made Santa Ana and Orange County proud by defending our country,” DA Tony Rackauckas said as he stood in front of the memorial during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “Many of these brave men and women have given up their lives while fighting for the freedoms that we’re here enjoying now.”

Santa Ana City Councilmember Juan Villegas, who, along with Rackauckas, is a veteran himself, called the vandalism a crime against the neighborhood’s culture and heritage.

Prosecutors said Cabrera, who they allege is a gang member, also tagged the exterior of a clothing store on First Street in the early morning hours of March 12. He is accused of carrying out both incidents on behalf of a street gang.

Cabrera was tied to the crimes after investigators recovered surveillance video from one of the scenes where the defendant’s license plate number was clearly visible, according to Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin.

When officials interviewed Cabrera, who had already been arrested by another agency, he confessed to the vandalism, Valentin said.

It took the mural’s creator five years to complete the work, and the city is now raising money for the artist to restore the piece. So far, more than $11,000 has been raised, Villegas said.

Marine veteran Samuel Romero, 83, said Logan residents hope to expand the artwork to include numerous other local Mexican-American war veterans who didn’t make the initial cut.

“A lot of people here are proud of what they did,” he said. “A lot of them volunteered right of the bat.”

Cabrera is expected to appear in court on June 6 for a pre-trial hearing, officials said.

He could face a maximum possible sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged.

An armed suspect who was shot as he tried to rob a restaurant in Santa Ana is believed to be responsible for other crimes in the area, police said Wednesday.

Santa Ana police released this photo of Steve Rodriguez.

Steve Rodriguez was allegedly in the process of committing a robbery at the Cozy Corner restaurant, located at 426 N. Harbor Blvd., early last Saturday when the shooting occurred, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

While Rodriguez was inside the restaurant, someone in a silver Honda Accord that was stopped in the drive-thru lane window shot at the suspect, police stated in a news release.

Santa Ana Police Cmdr. Michael Claborn told the Orange County Register that the shooter was a customer. He witnessed the robbery happening while waiting for his food and fired several shots, shattering the glass drive-thru window, the newspaper reported.

“It was very dangerous, one of the employees could have been shot,” Claborn said.

The gunfire struck Rodriguez twice in the upper torso. The 60-year-old transient was taken to an area hospital where he was last reported to be critical condition, authorities said.

Surveillance video from inside the restaurant captured both the robbery and the shooting; the video was released by police on Wednesday.

Detectives believe Rodriguez is linked to four other crimes in the city that occurred in the days before he was shot and wounded, according to the news release.

The first, a robbery of a young couple, took place on May 20 in the 1200 block of North Jackson Avenue, according to police. The second incident, a carjacking in Rosita Park, also happened the same day.

Rodriguez is believed to have robbed a food truck at 17th Street and Hazard Avenue on the following day, investigators said.

No details were immediately available about the fourth incident, with police only saying that it took place on May 22 at the Boost Mobile store located at 17th Street and Harbor Boulevard.

Meanwhile, detectives said they were also looking for information about the individuals involved in the shooting of Rodriguez at the Cozy Corner restaurant.

Police have identified the individuals inside the vehicle as “several suspects,” but did not release descriptions of any of them.

Anyone with information related to any of these cases is urged to email Robbery Detective Greaver at dgreaver@santa-ana.org or leave a tip anonymously by calling Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

Supporters of a gay Nigerian man who is being held in a detention center gathered in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Santa Ana Friday and called for his release. Udoka Nwek is seeking asylum in the U.S. after experiencing traumatic conditions and violence in his home country because of his sexual orientation.

Kareen Wynter reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News at 11 on June 1, 2018.

U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter gathered Orange County leaders together early Tuesday at the Santa Ana Armory to observe what homeless people do when they leave the seasonal shelter.

U.S. District Judge David Carter, left, homeless activist Lou Noble and Deputy Chief Ken Gominsky of the Santa Ana Police Department walk past a tent along railroad tracks near Main Street in Santa Ana on June 5, 2018. (Credit: Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

The tour’s aim was to gauge the adequacy of the facility, which along with another in Fullerton has been serving a more prominent role after the closure of two homeless encampments next to the Santa Ana River and the Civic Center.

Carter is overseeing a federal lawsuit filed by homelessness advocates that unsuccessfully attempted to stop the February riverbed eviction. He toured that encampment before it was shut down.

By 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Carter’s group was watching the last of the homeless filter out of the armory on Warner Avenue. Neighbors and surrounding businesses have complained about the spread of homeless people into the community during the day.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

A suspect was arrested Sunday in connection with the shooting death of a man in Santa Ana, authorities said.

Carlos Alexander Gonzalez, 20, is seen in an undated booking photo. (Credit: Santa Ana Police Department)

Orange County sheriff’s deputies took Carlos Alexander Gonzalez, 20, into custody at his parents’ home in Aliso Viejo around 10:45 a.m., according to a news release from the Santa Ana Police Department.

The deadly shooting happened on May 19 at approximately 3:40 a.m. in the 3100 block of South Main Street, police said.

Officers responded and found the victim, identified as Bryan Anthony Steubing, 20, of Santa Ana, suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body, according to the news release. He was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center where he was later declared dead, the statement read.

Detectives interviewed Gonzalez and booked him into jail on suspicion of murder, authorities said.

Anyone with information about this case was asked to contact homicide detectives with the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8506.

A jury on Wednesday recommended the death penalty for a former Marine convicted of killing five Southern California women between 1986 and 1995.

Jurors on May 23 found Andrew Urdiales, 53, of Illinois, guilty in five murders that happened across Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

He was scheduled to be sentenced at the Superior Court of Orange County on Aug. 31.

OCDA said Urdiales served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1984 to 1991, during which he killed one woman in Orange County, two in Riverside County and one in San Diego County.

In 1986, Urdiales drove from Camp Pendleton to Saddleback College in Mission Viejo and approached 23-year-old Robbin Brandley at a parking lot, OCDA said. He stabbed her 41 times with a hunting knife and fled.

In 1988, Urdiales picked up 29-year-old Julie McGhee in Indian Wells and drove to a remote area in Cathedral City, according to officials. He shot her in the head after having sex with her. Urdiales left her body, took some of her belongings and fled, OCDA said.

Less than three months later, Urdiales picked up 31-year-old Mary Ann Wells in San Diego, gave her money and drove her into an alley, officials said. After having sex with her, Urdiales shot her in the head and took back the cash he gave her.

In 1989, Urdiales picked up 18-year-old Tammie Erwin and drove to a secluded area in Palm Springs, where he had sex with her, according to OCDA. He used the same gun to kill McGhee and Wells to shoot Erwin in the head and hip, officials added. He then dismantled the weapon and disposed of the parts separately.

Andrew Urdiales victims Robbin Brandley, right, and Tammie Erwin are seen in photos provided by their families.

Three years later, Urdiales drove to a bus stop and offered Jennifer Asbenson a ride to work in Palm Springs, OCDA said. The next day, he "lured" her into his car, took her somewhere isolated in the Palm Springs desert and beat and sexually assaulted her. He locked her into the trunk of his vehicle, but she was able to escape.

Urdiales moved back home to Illinois after being discharged, but he returned to Palm Springs in March 1995 for a vacation, according to authorities.  That's when he picked up 32-year-old Denise Maney and drove her to a remote area, where he sexually assaulted her before stabbing  and shooting her, officials said.

The following November, police arrested Urdiales in Indiana after they saw him in an area known for prostitution, according to OCDA. Officers discovered a firearm in his car and confiscated it because he had no permit to carry it, authorities said.  Five months later, Chicago police matched the gun to bullets recovered from the bodies of three women murdered in Illinois, leading to his arrest.

Urdiales previously received a death sentence for the Illinois killings, but the state abolished the death penalty and that sentence was reduced to life without parole, the Associated Press reported.

"He deserves to be gone…He’s not capable of anything good," said Asbenson, who recalled her escape after the jury provided its recommendation on Wednesday.

OCDA said it decided to pursue a death penalty sentence before Urdiales' extradition from Illinois to Orange County in October 2011.

Police on Wednesday sought the public's help identifying a man who broke into a Santa Ana girl's room and exposed himself.

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment in the 2300 block of West Edinger Avenue, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Surveillance footage from the victim's home shows the suspect trying to break into vehicles parked at the residence before scaling a back fence.

Then, the man allegedly entered the apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door at the unit's rear and went into the room of a 15-year-old girl as she slept.

The victim, who wished to remain unidentified, said she woke up when she felt someone staring at her and opened her eyes to find a strange man in front of her. She struggled to recount what happened next.

“He asked me if I wanted it — if I wanted to see his…yeah. And then he showed me his private area, and that’s when I got scared and I just yelled at my dad two times. And then he told me to be quiet, but I didn’t listen obviously, so I just kept yelling for me dad.”

The intruder hat shut her bedroom door and put his finger to her mouth, signaling for her to remain silent. But luckily, her parents were able to hear her screams.

The girl said he fled ran downstairs and exited through the same sliding glass door he used to enter.

The security video shows him running away while trying to hold up his pants. The footage indicates he entered the apartment at around 1:22 a.m. and left 10 minutes later.

The victim said the incident left her deeply disturbed.

“I was just crying and shaking and I couldn’t talk that day," she said. "I was scared to fall asleep and to see him in front of me again.”

Investigators described the offender as 20- to 25-year-old with a thin build and medium complexion and about 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall. He wore a red baseball hat, red shirt and tan pants and was last seen clean-shaven, according to police.

Anyone with information can call detectives at 714-245-8542.

Erika Martin contributed to this report.

Video showing the moment a van struck a woman walking across the street in Santa Ana was released by police on Thursday as the search for the hit-and-run driver continues.

The victim, Maria Gonzalez, was in the crosswalk when a white van driving east on McFadden Avenue struck her and slammed her to the ground as he turned right onto Orange Avenue just after 2 p.m. on June 7, police said in a news release.

According to Gonzales, she still had 10 seconds left to cross the street when she was blindsided. "I go down, my face in the floor," she recalled.

The fleeing driver then proceeded to run several stops signs as he was chased down the street by concerned bystanders who witnessed the incident, authorities said. None were able to catch him.

Gonzalez was hospitalized with moderate injuries from the impact, but she's since returned home with large, mottled bruises covering her face and body. She said she's grateful her wounds weren't more severe.

"I said, 'Thank you, God, because you gave me another opportunity," she said.

In video of the crash captured by a neighbor's camera and released by police, the van can be seen slowing down before the turn but rams right into Gonzalez, knocking her flat on the ground.

Neighbor Elena Chavez said the perpetrator's brazen disregard has raised concern for her family.

"I'm very, very worried about my family," she told KTLA through an interpreter. "We're afraid that we can get hit by a car at any time, and they're just going to leave."

Gonzalez said she does not harbor ill will against the man, but believes he does need to own up to what he did.

"He need to go to the police and explain what happened, because it's (an) accident," she said. "Now, it's not accident."

Police have only described the suspect as a bearded man who was wearing a hat. The white van he was driving is possibly a 2017 or 2018 Ford Transit, officials said.

Anyone with information can contact the Santa Ana Police Department's collision investigation unit at 714-245-8200.

Officials from three Orange County cities — Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Santa Ana — have proposed new shelter sites to help solve the area’s growing homeless crisis.

City representatives made their offer at a hearing this week before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who’s presiding over a lawsuit filed by advocates for the homeless who wanted to halt the removal of an illegal encampment along the Santa Ana River Trail.

Carter allowed the evictions to begin Jan. 22, but said that they must be done “humanely” and with a measure “of compassion.” He also pushed cities to work together to come up with housing solutions for the riverbed population, describing them as “vulnerable,” often with “nowhere to go.”

The riverbed residents were moved temporarily to motels, but vouchers for those rooms have since expired.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.