No stargazing for suspect in thwarted telescope store burglary

A man with a possible penchant for stargazing was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly broke into a telescope store in Costa Mesa.

Police went to Scope City on Bristol Street after its alarm went off Sunday morning. They saw a vehicle leaving the area, said Costa Mesa police Sgt. Ed Everett. They tailed the car to a nearby store, where the suspect, Joshua Bush, 30, of Costa Mesa, got out.

Officers detained him and got consent to search the vehicle. Bush admitted to having a handgun in the car, police said. Officers found the loaded gun in the car along with burglary tools and posters from the store, Everett said.

Bush was arrested on suspicion of burglary, weapons charges and possession of burglary tools. He was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday.

The outer door of the store had been pried open, police said, but whoever committed the burglary was not able to get through an interior gate to access the merchandise.

— LATimes.com

Twitter: @LATimes