Federal prosecutors say a Friday night shift at a Placentia restaurant ended in chaos when a worker leaving for the evening was attacked in her SUV and nearly run down as the suspect sped off in her car.
According to a federal complaint, 30-year-old Miguel Abrajan-Morales of Fullerton allegedly climbed into the passenger seat of the woman’s Ford Bronco as she sat in the vehicle, struck her, and then fought with a coworker who rushed in to help. Prosecutors say Abrajan-Morales then slid behind the wheel, drove off, and “nearly struck” both employees in the parking lot before fleeing. Authorities later arrested him in Ontario on March 1, and he is being held at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange County.
Those allegations are laid out in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. Federal complaints filed in Santa Ana charge Abrajan-Morales with carjacking and with being an illegal alien found in the United States following deportation. Prosecutors also note he faces a separate Orange County assault-with-a-deadly-weapon case in superior court. He is expected to make an initial federal appearance in the United States District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors say the trouble started Friday evening as the two employees were leaving work in Placentia. Abrajan-Morales allegedly entered the Bronco without warning and struck the woman inside, prompting her coworker to intervene. The two men then traded blows in the parking lot, according to authorities. After the struggle, the defendant is accused of jumping into the driver’s seat, taking off in the Bronco, and nearly hitting both employees as he exited the lot, later crashing into a parked Honda Civic. Those details were summarized by the FBI in Los Angeles…