Behind the Badge
Two armed robbery suspects were arrested Monday after the Santa Ana PD assisted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in finding the pair, who are suspected of robbing a Lake Forest hotel Sunday night.
Michael Williams, 25, of Laguna Niguel, was booked on Dec. 11 on suspicion of felony robbery, felony assault with a semi-automatic weapon, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Melissa Price, 26, of Laguna Niguel, also arrested Monday, was booked on suspicion of felony robbery.
Williams and Price are suspected of robbing the hotel in the 23000 block of Lake Center Drive in Lake Forest and fleeing with an unknown amount of cash at about 11:15 p.m. Dec. 10.
The caller told deputies that a man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask had entered the hotel with a handgun and demanded money. The man fled with the hotel’s cash drawer, which contained an undisclosed amount of cash and envelopes with the hotel’s address written on the front.
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies set up a perimeter and conducted a search, but did not find the suspect in the area. The deputies also put out a countywide alert for other law enforcement agencies to look out for the man.
During a patrol check of the 1600 block of S. Evergreen Street in Santa Ana at about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 10, Santa Ana Police Department officers saw a man and woman sitting in a blue 1990 Honda Accord.
As officers approached the car, they saw the man tuck a black handgun underneath his leg.
Santa Ana PD officers detained the two without incident. As the man got out of the car, officers saw a black ski mask in the car.
Recalling the recent law enforcement alert on the Lake Forest robbery, the Santa Ana officers believed the man to be the suspect the Sheriff’s Department was looking for.
In addition to the black ski mask, officers recovered a black handgun and a cash drawer with an undetermined amount of cash.
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Lake Forest Police Services responded and arrested Williams and Price.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips also may be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
