Suspect in Newport Beach carjacking barricaded in Dover Shores home

A man suspected of stealing one car near Fashion Island in Newport Beach led police on a brief pursuit and allegedly carjacked another vehicle as he fled, then wound up in the Dover Shores area and was barricaded in a home surrounded by officers Tuesday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear if the man was armed. No injuries were immediately reported.

Police asked people to stay away from the area and advised nearby residents to stay indoors in a bulletin posted at 4:21 p.m. However, there were no plans to evacuate the area as of 5 p.m., Newport Beach Police spokeswoman Heather Rangel said.

The events leading up to the standoff began at about 3:30 p.m., Rangel said. The first victim was a woman whose Lexus RX350 was taken from her in a parking lot at 180 Newport Center Drive, witness Mark Pressey said.

Police officers stage on Santiago Drive in Newport Beach while a suspect barricaded himself in a home under construction nearby.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Pressey works on the second floor of a nearby building and said he heard the sound of screeching tires followed by a crash coming from beyond his balcony. He went outside and saw that the SUV had crashed into a curb with both of its front tires apparently separated from its drivetrain.

The man in the disabled vehicle ran from the crash site and unsuccessfully tried to carjack a passing pickup truck, Pressey said. He continued fleeing into a parking lot, where he jumped into the driver seat of a black Jeep, commanded a person in the vehicle to get out, and then drove off.

Aerial footage broadcast by CBS Los Angeles showed officers near Santiago Drive and Nottingham Road. Their guns were drawn and pointed toward a nearby house that was under construction. Meanwhile, investigators were seen examining a black Jeep parked down the street with its doors open.

This is a developing story.

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