Sheriff's Blotter: 'Gunshots' Heard Inside Holiday Inn

The Holiday Inn in Lake Forest was bustling with police activity last weekend after what was thought to be gunplay inside the building.

According to the blotter of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, a caller indicated he heard a woman's scream and then a "gunshot" in the second-floor room next door shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday.

While on the phone, the caller heard what appeared to be another gunshot; the 9-1-1 operator confirmed hearing a loud bang.

There became some confusion about the location of the gunshot and that it might have come from the third floor.

The department's helicopter flew above the scene while deputies established a perimeter around the hotel and cleared the rooms one by one.

Deputies were unable to find a gunman or an injured party.

The call was made Sunday, 1:06 a.m., from the 23100 block of Lake Center Drive.

Broken bottles and threats don't mix

Less than two hours earlier and just up the street from the Holiday Inn, the Irvine Suites had some unpleasant business as well.

An informant reported that 13 male subjects dragged him and his friend inside a party room at the hotel and were trying to slash the two with beer bottles.

Deputies eventually cleared two rooms filled with party-goers.

The call was made Saturday, 11:32 p.m., from the 23100 block of Lake Center Drive.

Not zoned for hymns

An informant reported a nearby residence was being used a church, and complained that vehicles on the street were double-parked, children were running around making noise, "and soon there will be loud hymns being sung with a PA system."

Deputies went to the location and confirmed the residence was being used as a church, that there was no furniture but rows of chairs with a pulpit and loudspeakers. They advised the homeowner of the noise complaint.

The call came was made Saturday, 5:34 p.m., from the 24400 block of Blackfoot Drive.

Once was lost but now am found

A mother reported that she and her daughter left their apartment to go to the playground in their complex. The mother then told her daughter to wait while she ran back inside to inform her other daughter where they were going.

When the mother returned outside, the girl was missing. The mother went to the playground but could not find her. When she returned home, the daughter was there, safe and unharmed.

The little girl had walked to the next set of apartments but had realized that she was by herself, so she returned home.

The call came in on Friday, 5:56 p.m., 26300 block of Paloma.

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The following is a summary report of calls from Lake Forest to the Orange County Sheriff's Department from March 1-3.

Battery, Sunday, 4:34 p.m., 21000 block of Osterman Road. An informant reported that his brother "went crazy” over not following the rules and had just hit their mother in the face. The brother had allegedly been using marijuana.

Missing juvenile, Sunday, 1:02 p.m., 21000 block of Calle Matorral. The 16-year-old son of a caller was being violent with the parents and left the residence.

Disturbance, Sunday, 9:34 a.m., 25200 block of Eivon Lane. An informant reported that his 21 year-old daughter threatened to hit his car with a hammer. The man kicked her out of the house six months prior. The woman kept on saying, “If I am going down, I am going down with a boom," according to the blotter. She was taken into custody.

Suspicious person or circumstance, Saturday, 6:55 p.m., from Monserrat Place. A caller reported that two men wearing shirts with the Mercedes logo approached her in her garage and offered her scratch removal on her vehicle. They then applied unknown substances onto the side of her car and left with her car keys after she had paid them $250. They were last seen an hour from the time of the call in an older, dark grey Honda.

Disturbance, Saturday, 3:01 p.m., 26300 block of Mountain Grove Circle. A drunk informant reported that his ex-girlfriend, who had also been drinking, took his ashtray off his porch and threw it at him.

Disturbance, Saturday, 11:26 a.m., 19400 block Rue De Valore. An informant called to report that her husband physically assaulted her 16 year-old grandson.

Welfare check, Friday, 7:01 p.m., 24700 block of Evereve Circle. A young man was making suicidal statements to his girlfriend, who then later checked on him to find him overdosed and with cuts all over his body.

Suspicious person or circumstance, Friday, 5:50 p.m., 25800 block of Trabuco Road. A caller reported a strange man who often seems to park by the play area and talk to the children playing.

Keep the peace, Friday, 5:16 p.m., 26100 block of Dimension Drive. A mechanic called to report the owner of a vehicle owed the mechanic $8,600 but refused to pay. The mechanic then took the vehicle to Blair's to store it in the meantime, but the owner of the vehicle came to take it back.

Burglary report, Friday, 9:14 a.m., 20000 block of Osterman Road. A caller reported her ex-boyfriend who broke into her apartment through a window.

Suspicious person or circumstance, Friday, 7:09 a.m., 20700 block of El Toro Road. An informant reported a strange man walking through an apartment complex in a ski mask.

You can read about more incidents on the Orange County Sheriff's Department blotter.

This report was culled from the Orange County Sheriff's website. Not all facts in each report are made public; the outcome of the report, as well as the facts, may differ from the original blotter item. All items are alleged to have occurred. There should be no assumption of guilt based on this limited information.