3 Cars Stolen at Gunpoint in Past 3 Days : Carjackings: The victims, who did not resist, were also robbed. The assaults reflect a nationwide rise in such attacks.

By GREG HERNANDEZ

June 30, 1993 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Carjackers struck three times within 40 hours in Orange County this week, stealing cars at gunpoint in Huntington Beach, Orange and Santa Ana, mirroring an increase in such attacks nationwide.

Although Orange County statistics were not available, local authorities said Tuesday that carjackings have been on the rise in the past two years. A person driving an aging compact is as much at risk as a driver of a Mercedes-Benz, they said.

“It’s the designer crime of the ‘90s,” said Orange police Lt. Timm Browne. “In the last few years, everyone has seen a radical increase in this type of crime, and it’s not isolated geographically to Orange County. It’s a nationwide phenomenon.”

The most recent Orange County victims, all of whom were also robbed, gave up their cars willingly, as authorities advise. They were not injured.

The Huntington Beach attack took place at 4:25 a.m. Tuesday on Beach Boulevard at Heil Avenue. The victim, George Cross, had just stopped his 1987 Plymouth Voyager at a red light when three men walked up to his car, said police Sgt. Dennis Martin.

“One of the men displayed a handgun and ordered the man out of the vehicle,” Martin said. “They took his wallet and drove off in his car.”

On Monday night, a 24-year-old man had his 1984 Mustang convertible stolen at gunpoint in Orange immediately after getting into his car, which was parked in a condominium complex parking lot in the 1900 block of West Culver Avenue, Browne said.

The man, whose name police refused to release for safety reasons, was confronted by four men, one of whom was carrying a semiautomatic handgun. One of the men initially had asked the victim if he knew where a particular person’s apartment was.

“Two of the guys, including the gunman, physically lifted the victim out of his car and put him down on a nearby car,” Browne said. “They took his wallet, got into the car and drove off.”

That incident took place only blocks away from MainPlace/Santa Ana shopping mall where on Sunday, a 16-year-old youth sitting in a car waiting for his mother to finish shopping was confronted by a carjacker.

The teen-ager, Bradley Scott Dobson of Chino, was not injured in the incident, but the carjacker, who was armed with a handgun, escaped with the family’s 1993 Lexus as well as Dobson’s class ring.

Authorities said drivers have a better chance of not being injured if they comply with the carjacker’s demands.

“If you’re confronted and someone sticks a gun in your face, don’t hesitate. Immediately give them the vehicle, your purse or whatever they want. Your life or your safety is not worth the risk,” said Layna Bowdy, spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Bowdy said carjacking is “a crime of opportunity.” Thieves who use this method to steal cars are often planning to use the vehicle to commit a crime or to get away from a crime they just committed, she said.

“You’re usually not dealing with a rational person, someone you can reason with,” Bowdy said. “That’s why it’s so important to comply.”

Bowdy said one of the main reasons carjackings are on the rise is that car security systems have improved greatly over the years, making it more difficult for thieves to steal a parked car.

But, she said, the problem has not become an epidemic.

“It’s not happening on every street corner.” she said. “People shouldn’t be terrified, but there has been a rise.”

Foiling Carjackers

Here are 10 simple steps to help you keep from becoming the victim of a carjacking: * Be aware of your surroundings. * Choose well-lighted, well-traveled areas. * When you return home, be aware of all vehicles and surroundings. * Don’t drive in the lane next to the curb when you are in a risky area. * Be careful after a minor rear-end accident. * Keep your vehicle locked and your windows rolled up. * Keep your purse or other valuables out of view. * Plan your route and know something about the area you are driving through. * Keep your house keys on separate ring from your car keys. * If confronted by a gunman, give up your car. Source: Automobile Club of Southern California