Several usually quiet Orange County neighborhoods were rocked Tuesday morning by a series of slayings and violent carjackings that authorities said left at least four dead, including the suspect, and others wounded.
The killings appeared to begin with the shooting death of a woman on Red Leaf Lane in Ladera Ranch. Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said someone inside the home called 911 at 4:45 a.m. and that responding deputies found a woman dead inside.
Neighbors described the area as upscale, with doctors and lawyers among the residents.
David Cabada, 26, was walking his dog when he saw the yellow tape.
"Nothing ever happens here," he said. "The worst that ever happens is somebody gets a parking ticket."
Cabada, who works in banking, moved to Ladera Ranch two years ago from Dana Point.
"Everybody here either has kids or dogs," he said. "Or both."
He said he heard helicopters Tuesday morning but didn't think it was in his neighborhood.
"This is shocking," he said. "Especially here."
Lisa Eminger, a homemaker, could see the home where the shooting occurred from her bedroom Tuesday morning. She woke up to the sound of helicopters and the sight of yellow crime tape about 7 a.m.
"This is kind of surreal," she said.
Jason Glass, who lives across the street, said a couple had lived at the home for about a year with three children. The family was quiet, he said.
"No noise ever came out of that house," he said. "No cops ever came to that house, nothing. This is really weird."
Glass said he was working in his garage Tuesday when he heard what he now believes were three to five gunshots between 2 and 3 a.m. About 4 a.m., Glass said, he "heard a bunch of ruckus" -- no yelling, but lots of doors slamming -- before a car sped away from the house.
"I just thought somebody was being really loud and obnoxious," Glass said.
Other neighbors said they were awakened by the police response. Erin Reffert and Mikael Dovsek, who live down the street, described their neighborhood as a great place to raise children. The biggest crime problem, they said, is occasional graffiti.
"It's super-quiet," Reffert, 22, said.
Authorities believe the suspect, initially described as a man in his 20s, fled the area in an SUV and headed toward Tustin, where Amormino said "multiple incidents" occurred.
Tustin Police Lt. Paul Garaven said the suspect attempted to carjack multiple vehicles in Tustin, with each shooting occurring a few minutes apart.
Police received a report about 5:30 a.m. of a carjacking near Red Hill Avenue and Nisson Road near the 5 Freeway in Tustin, Garaven said.
The carjacking suspect opened fire and wounded a bystander, he said.
O.C. shootings: Usually quiet neighborhoods rocked by violence
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O.C. shootings: Usually quiet neighborhoods rocked by violence
