Man with a knife arrested in attempted robbery

Police arrested a Costa Mesa resident Thursday morning after an attempted robbery of a couple at knifepoint.

A husband and wife were walking along Newport Boulevard near Monte Vista Avenue in Costa Mesa when they heard someone come up behind them, police said in a news release.

When the husband turned around, he saw a man pull a knife from a sheath on his belt, police said, but when the husband moved aggressively to protect his wife, he scared off the would-be robber.

After the couple called authorities, an officer quickly found a man with a knife at a nearby apartment building, police said.

The officer held the suspect at gunpoint until backup arrived to arrest him, according to police.

Costa Mesa police Lt. Greg Scott identified the suspect as Andrew W. Elliott, 28.

Elliott was booked on suspicion of robbery and taken to Orange County Jail, where he’s being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, police said.

No further details were released as detectives investigate possible ties to other crimes.

A robbery was reported along that stretch of Newport Boulevard earlier this week. On Tuesday, a man on a bicycle snatched a woman’s purse and rode off near Del Mar Avenue.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck