Lake Elsinore Carjacker ID'd As Oceanside Man: Sheriff's Dept.

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A Monday night carjacking in Lake Elsinore led to the arrest of an Oceanside man who was spotted driving the stolen vehicle, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Dominic Melgoza, 25, was taken into custody at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday near Lakeside High School, jail records show.

The arrest followed a carjacking report around 10:09 p.m. Monday in the 31000 block of Riverside Drive, less than two miles from where Melgoza was nabbed. The victim said a man approached him with a black handgun and demanded his vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.

The motorist handed over the automobile and the suspect drove off, heading westbound on Riverside Drive.

The sheriff's department was called, but an initial search by investigators turned up nothing. Then shortly after 1 a.m., a deputy spotted the stolen car heading westbound on Riverside Drive, near Lincoln Street. Additional deputies were called in and the driver — identified as Melgoza — pulled over without incident, according to the sheriff's department.

Melgoza was arrested on suspicion of carjacking and was being held at Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on $60,000 bail. He is due in court Thursday, jail records show.