An arrest warrant was issued for an Anaheim man who failed to appear before a judge on charges of trying to carjack a restaurant worker in Garden Grove and then later pummeling a jail guard, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Steiner Pese Faupusa, 35, showed up for his court hearing in Santa Ana to determine if he qualified for a special court set-up for defendants with mental health issues, but left before his case was called, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon.
Faupusa had been free on $60,000 bail, which was forfeited, the prosecutor said.
Faupusa was charged in February with attempted carjacking, aggravated assault on a custodial officer and escape by force or violence, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation involving a prior strike conviction for robbery in 2012 that would double his punishment if he’s convicted.
On the afternoon of Feb. 9, a worker at Coco’s Bakery Restaurant went to his car after finishing a shift and encountered Faupusa, who allegedly attempted to get into the vehicle and at one point threw his backpack inside the car.
A co-worker also going home at the time confronted Faupusa and started taking photos of him with a cell phone, prompting the defendant to run across the street to catch a bus, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Mestman, the previous prosecutor on the case. Garden Grove police tracked Faupusa along the bus route and arrested him.
While Faupusa was about to be fingerprinted and have his mug shot taken, he allegedly tried to escape through a locked door. When he could not open the door, he allegedly demanded the guard open it for him, and hit the guard in the head and body multiple times, Mestman said.
The officer used a panic button to summon help from other officers, who subdued Faupusa, the prosecutor said.
— City News Service