Spate Of Lake Elsinore Crimes Tied To Man Found In La Cresta: RSO

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A man suspected in several Lake Elsinore crimes — including running down a construction worker with a Mercedes — was found near the La Cresta community Wednesday and arrested, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced.

John Robert Veitch, 37, from the Lake Elsinore area was involved in three criminal incidents this week — all of which he fled from in a tan Mercedes, according to the sheriff's department.

On Monday around 8 a.m., he "intentionally" ran down a construction worker at Riverside Drive and Joy Street in Lake Elsinore, the sheriff's department reported.

On Tuesday around 8:30 a.m., a convenience store in the 31000 block of Riverside Drive in Lake Elsinore was robbed by a man who fled in a tan Mercedes. Investigators tied the incident to Veitch. On the same day, around noon, he stole from another convenience store located in the 18000 block of Collier Avenue in Lake Elsinore and made criminal threats before fleeing in the Mercedes, the sheriff's department said.

Deputies finally caught up with him around 10 a.m. Wednesday near La Cresta after a caller reported a suspicious tan Mercedes parked at Tenaja Road and Calle Pino in unincorporated Murrieta.

Veitch was being held at Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree robbery, according to jail records. His bail has been set at $30,000.