BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Accidents add...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Accidents add to rush-hour traffic

Two three-car accidents tied up the Costa Mesa Freeway during the

Tuesday evening rush-hour commute.

The first, reported about 5:30 p.m. in the northbound direction,

north of Mesa Drive, tied up three of the four lanes for a little

more than an hour. The crash caused minor to moderate injuries, said

California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Reeves.

About the same time, another three-vehicle accident occurred in

the same general area, but was not related or caused by the first

accident, Reeves said.

Armed driver asks woman to enter car

A motorist with a gun told a woman walking past the Department of

Motor Vehicles in Costa Mesa to get inside his car Tuesday afternoon,

but drove away when she refused, police said.

The 20-year-old woman walked along West 19th Street near the DMV

at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when the driver and a passenger in a small,

green compact car started talking to her, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale

Birney said.

The driver brandished the gun but did not point it and drove away

when the woman refused to get in the car, Birney said.

Dog mistaken for

a rabid coyote

A Newport Beach resident was alarmed Tuesday evening when he

thought he saw a rabid coyote on the loose. Because animal control

personnel were not immediately available, the Newport Beach Police

Department sent officers and a helicopter to capture the animal. It

turned out the coyote was a domesticated dog and not rabid, Sgt. Joe

Thrasher said.