Chase suspect arrested twice by 2 agencies

Deepa Bharath

A 36-year-old Newport Coast resident arrested Tuesday after

reportedly leading California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed

chase was rearrested Wednesday after allegedly trying to steal a

videotape the CHP wanted as evidence, officials said.

CHP officers started following Michael S. Mancuso, president and

chief executive of Clear World Communications Corp. in Santa Ana,

after he drove through the toll plaza at Newport Coast Drive at about

4 p.m. Tuesday, CHP Officer Paul Pines said.

Mancuso’s silver Porsche lacked license plates and a visible

transponder, he said.

“He did not stop and was going at a very high speed,” Pines said.

Mancuso ran four red lights, driving 120 to 130 mph, he said.

Mancuso lost control of the car at the intersection of San Joaquin

Hills Road and Newport Coast Drive, “missing a loaded school bus by 6

inches,” Pines said.

“All witnesses we talked to heard him before they saw him,” Pines

said. “He had a twin turbo on the car and utter disregard for his own

safety and the safety of the public.”

Pines said he and other officers watched as cross traffic came to

a screeching halt as other drivers spotted Mancuso speeding down the

street.

“At one time, he made a left turn from the right side curb,” he

said. “Went right across the lanes.”

CHP officers lost Mancuso for a while, but found him after a

security guard outside Mancuso’s gated community on Via Diamante

identified him.

“The guard said he had a videotape of [Mancuso] going through the

gate,” Pines said. CHP officers arrested him Tuesday evening on

suspicion of reckless driving and felony evading.

But Mancuso made the $25,000 bail at about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday

morning, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said. Less than two

hours after he got out of Orange County jail, Mancuso walked up to

the security guard and said he wanted the videotape from the previous

day, Shulman said.

“The guard refused to give him the tape,” Shulman said. “So he

walked into the guard shack, took a tape he believed was the

videotape he wanted, left $500 on the counter and walked out.”

The guard called the [Newport Beach] Police immediately, he said.

“We took the tape from him, arrested him and also took the $500 he

tried to give the security guard,” Shulman said.

Newport Beach Police arrested Mancuso on suspicion of commercial

burglary and offering a bribe to get the tape, which was to be used

as evidence in the CHP’s case against him.

“We believe he took the tape either to destroy it or to prevent

the CHP from getting it,” Shulman said.

He said Mancuso was transported from Newport Beach city jail to

Orange County jail after his arrest Wednesday morning, but he made

the $10,000 bail and was out by 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Pines said Mancuso had taken the wrong tape from the guard shack

anyway.

“Newport Beach has that tape as evidence for their case,” he said.

“We have the tape we were looking for.”