A pair of Santa Ana men -- one who allegedly led police on a chase and the other accused of attacking officers -- face charges Tuesday related to protests in the city this past weekend.
Ernesto Isaiah Luquin, 23, was charged Tuesday with two felony counts of assault with a weapon on a peace officer. He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
On Saturday, a Santa Ana Unified School District police officer flagged down a police officer to report someone threw a large rock and a beer bottle at his squad car at Bristol Street and McFadden Avenue while shouting, "(Expletive) the police," said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. The suspect fled in his vehicle but police later arrested Luquin, Bertagna said.
On Sunday, police arrested Jon Paul Worden, 32, of Santa Ana, and booked him on suspicion of weapons charges and attacking an officer, Bertagna said.
Police saw Worden allegedly hurling mortars at officers at Ross and Fourth streets on Sunday, Bertagna said. Later that night, police saw him again at Birch and Fourth streets with a handgun on his hip, Bertagna said.
Worden was allegedly concealing the gun under his shirt when he wasn't brandishing it at protesters, Bertagna said.
Police decided to keep their distance given the size of the crowd and the threat of danger, but they followed him as he left the area, Bertagna said.
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When officers tried to pull the car he was in over the driver refused to stop and led police on a chase, Bertagna said. Police backed off the chase due to the suspect's erratic driving, so they trailed him with help from a sheriff's helicopter, Bertagna said.
Worden was arrested after he and his father, who was a passenger in the car, stopped at the suspect's home in the 2600 block of West Stanford Street, Bertagna said.
A search of Worden's residence turned up four AR15-style assault weapons, a short-barreled shotgun, three handguns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, several high-capacity magazines, and bullet-proof vests, Bertagna said.
Police also recovered more than 600 pounds of illegal fireworks and mortars, Bertagan said.
Worden was freed on bail on Tuesday.
