4 arrested after officer pulls over SUV and discovers it’s listed as stolen

A traffic stop in Costa Mesa ended in four arrests when an officer discovered the SUV he’d pulled over had been reported as stolen, according to police.

Just before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, an officer stopped a white 2003 Cadillac Escalade on Victoria Street just west of Harbor Boulevard, according to Costa Mesa police Sgt. Bang Le.

Police couldn’t immediately provide information about what the traffic violation was that prompted the stop.

As the officer walked up to the SUV, a police dispatcher radioed that the license plate matched that of a vehicle that had been reported stolen, Le said. The officer called for backup, and other police blocked off the street and set up a perimeter in case the vehicle fled, Le said. Within about 20 minutes, officers took the four people in the car into custody.

Authorities identified the driver as Gabriel Marin-Rodriguez, 32, of Costa Mesa, He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia, Le said.

Passengers Destiny De Jesus, 19, of Anaheim and Barry Roberts, 46, of Costa Mesa were arrested on suspicion of drug-related misdemeanors, according to police. The third passenger was taken into custody on suspicion of a parole violation. Police identified him as Daniel Lopez, 34, of Costa Mesa.