3 arrested in April Fools’ carjacking hoax
Three men who pranked a friend by reporting a bogus April Fool’s Day carjacking have been arrested in San Bernardino County.
The Press-Enterprise says deputies were called to a fast food restaurant in Hesperia Tuesday night. A group of four men said a carjacker punched one of them and took his vehicle.
A dozen sheriff’s patrol cars and a helicopter canvassed the area searching for the suspect before a deputy figured out the story was fake.
Investigators say three of the men conspired to play a joke on the fourth man.
The three were arrested and booked for investigation of delaying an officer and falsely making a crime report. They were identified as Drue Joseph Mendoza and Luis Estevan Garcia, both 19, and 18-year-old Ashraf Wagdy Drieas.