Crime & Safety
Homeowner Beats Up Would-be Burglar
An alleged home invasion burglar led police on a chase through Mission Viejo yards.
A suspected home invasion burglar caused a stir running through yards and jumping fences before he was arrested near Marguerite Parkway and Aldeano Drive Monday morning.
Alex Bradford Hoffmann, a 26-year-old construction worker, was arrested and booked into Central Jail.
He was beaten by a homeowner as he tried to enter one home, said Sgt. Bill McGovern with Mission Viejo Police Services.
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"This guy tried to break into houses, and he met the wrong end of a homeowner," McGovern said. "They got into a tussle."
Trying to escape, Hoffmann allegedly ran through neighborhood yards before being captured by police. He was shocked with a Taser, McGovern said.
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One Patch reader reported 10 police cars responding to the incident, which had neighbors calling police as the man ran through their yards.
Hoffmann's bail was set at $100,000.
In 2005, Hoffman pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance, but pleaded not guilty to resisting a police officer. At that time he was sentenced to 60 days in jail, three years probation and an AIDS-prevention educational course, according to the Orange County Superior Court website.
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