Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested In Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, CA — Two were arrested on suspicion of robbing a Lake Forest hotel at gunpoint, Monday, the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported. Two Laguna Niguel residents, 25-year-old Michael Williams and 26-year-old Melissa Price, were both arrested in Santa Ana in relation to the crime.

The late Sunday night robbery was reported to the OCSD at approximately 11:15 p.m. Dec. 10, when officers were dispatched to a hotel on the 23100 block of Lake Center Drive.

"The 911 caller told dispatch that a man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask entered the hotel with a handgun and demanded money," an OCSD spokesperson said. "The suspect fled with the hotel's cash drawer."

The amount of cash taken was not disclosed. They also absconded with several envelopes bearing the hotel's address on the front.

Deputies responded and then established a perimeter and conducted a search, though the suspect was not immediately located. A county-wide alert was given, that other law enforcement agencies in Orange County should be on the look out for the suspects, the spokesperson said.

Later, in Santa Ana, an officer observed a couple sitting inside a 1990 blue Honda Accord on the 1600 block of South Evergreen Street. When officers conducted a patrol check, they noticed that the man had a black handgun tucked underneath his leg.

"Santa Ana police officers detained the occupants of the Accord without incident," OCSD reported. A ski mask, cash drawer and an undetermined amount of cash was also discovered inside the vehicle.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department Lake Forest Police Services responded to Santa Ana and arrested Williams and Price on suspicion of felony robbery. Williams is currently in custody at the Central Men's Jail, on bail of $100,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 20. Price posted bond and was released on Dec. 11.

This investigation is ongoing and any information should be shared with the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 714-647-7000, or anonymously through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.

Photos, courtesy OCSD