Felon held in robbery

Less than 18 hours after completing her jail term for a robbery conviction in September, a Garden Grove woman was back in police custody Tuesday morning on suspicion of carjacking a woman at South Coast Plaza.

Anna Martinez, 27, was arrested in Garden Grove after authorities say she carjacked an Old Navy employee in the mall parking lot then crashed the woman’s car into the right shoulder of the 22 Freeway hours later.

About 7:30 a.m. Tuesday an Old Navy employee was unlocking the doors to the store when a woman approached her from behind and demanded her car keys, simulating that she had a gun underneath her jacket, Sgt. Bryan Glass said. The woman never saw whether the carjacker actually had a gun, he added.

Police say that carjacker was Martinez, and about 90 minutes later, crashed that store employee’s car on the freeway.

California Highway Patrol officer Gabe Montoya said authorities were dispatched to a single-car crash on the 22 Freeway at Harbor Boulevard at 9:05 a.m. When CHP officers arrived, they found a crumpled car pulled over on the right shoulder without a driver and the engine running.

As a tow truck driver prepared to move the vehicle, Martinez returned to the car, Montoya said. Officers on the scene suspected she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said. Martinez was taken to a Garden Grove hospital where she was cleared of any injuries.

Costa Mesa police arrested her at the hospital after CHP officers linked the crashed car to the Costa Mesa carjacking, officials said.

Martinez was in custody at Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. She’s scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1.

She pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery Sept. 26 and was released from jail Monday, according to court records.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].