Police: ATM Robber Surrenders After Being Sprayed with Mace

An 18-year-old suspected of trying to hold up a man at a walk-up automated teller machine in Costa Mesa surrendered after being sprayed with mace and chased on foot by the victim, authorities said today.

Brian Gonzalez, of Fontana, brandished a short-barreled shotgun and demanded the victim, a 29-year-old Huntington Beach man, take money out of the machine at Westcom Credit Union at 1170 W. Baker St at 11:10 p.m. Saturday and give it to him, police said.

Instead the victim entered his personal identification number, then ran to his vehicle where he retrieved a mace canister, and used it on the suspect. The suspect ran and the victim tried to follow him on foot, police said.

Costa Mesa police with the help of an Orange County Sheriff's Department helicopter and canine teams from the Newport Beach and Cypress police departments began searching for Gonzalez, police said.

A relative of Gonzalez called and police were soon talking with the suspect by telephone and arranged for him to surrender.

Gonzalez was taken into custody without incident at a Carl's Jr. restaurant at 15th Street and Newport Boulevard.

The weapon was recovered from a trash bin at an apartment complex and the victim said the suspect only got away with $20, which was returned to the victim.

Gonzalez was booked for armed robbery.

Anyone who may have been victimized by the suspect was asked to call Costa Mesa police detective Rob Hanson at (714) 754-5162.

-City News Service