Man found dead in car after dispute with wife in Costa Mesa

What appeared to be a marital dispute in Costa Mesa ended Monday morning with detectives finding a man dead in his car in Long Beach, police said.

Police responded around 8:20 a.m. to a report of a man threatening a woman with a gun in the 300 block of Wilson Street in Costa Mesa.

A witness told officers that Francisco Parra-Garcia, the 60-year-old woman’s estranged husband, was rummaging through his wife’s vehicle outside her home, police said. Parra-Garcia and his wife began arguing when she approached the car, Lt. Paul Beckman said. Police did not identify her by name.

Beckman said the disagreement escalated when Parra-Garcia, 62, pulled out a small-caliber handgun. In response, the woman pepper-sprayed him.

Parra-Garcia tried to fire the gun, but it did not discharge, Beckman said. Parra-Garcia left before officers arrived.

Costa Mesa police asked the Long Beach Police Department to check for Parra-Garcia’s 1998 Mitsubishi Montero near 10th Street and Bennett Avenue in Long Beach, where they believed he may have gone after the altercation.

Detectives found the car parked in the area a short time later and found Parra-Garcia slumped over in the back seat, Beckman said. He did not respond when detectives tried to rouse him, Beckman said.

Long Beach firefighters pronounced Parra-Garcia dead at the scene. The cause of death was not immediately known, Beckman said. He had not been shot, and the handgun was not found, Beckman said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Costa Mesa police Det. Rob Dimel at (714) 754-5363.