Fugitive Car Thief, Gang Member Suspected of Brandishing Knife

Deputies arrested a fugitive gang member and auto thief early Tuesday evening on suspicion of threatening a man with a knife.

Sheriff's Lt. Steve Gil said the alleged knife brandishing happened during an argument over a dog one of the men was walking. At 6:47 p.m., deputies arrested Donald Lucio Arreola, 26, in the 26300 block of Los Viveros.

Arreola remained in jail on suspicion of displaying a weapon in a menacing manner, Gil said. He was scheuled to appear in court Thursday for a probation violation arraignment, according to jail records.

Arreola had already pleaded guilty in September to counts of receiving a stolen vehicle or equipment, auto theft, resisting a peace officer and street terrorism. His charges in that case included enhancements for being a member of a criminal street gang, a charge to which he admitted, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Court records listed him as a fugitive at the time of his arrest Tuesday.

Arreola's record in Orange County goes back to September 2005, when he pleaded guilty to being under the influence of a controlled substance.

In November of that year, he pleaded guilty to buying or receiving a stolen vehicle and street terrorism, court records state.

In 2006, he again pleaded guilty to stealing a vehicle, according to court records.

In 2010, Arreola pleaded guilty to possession of burglary tools as a criminal street gang member, resisting a peace officer and contempt of court.