A HEMET man was arrested Saturday night in Garden Grove in a carjacking attempt (Shutterstock).

A man who allegedly tried to carjack a vehicle in Garden Grove Saturday night was arrested and jailed.

According to Sgt. Charles Loffler of the GGPD, the incident took place around 9:18 p.m. in the 12500 block of Harbor Boulevard (near Lampson Avenue).

The suspect was identified as Caesar Ceferino Cruz, 26, of Hemet.

CAESAR CRUZ (GGPD photo).

Police say that two men and a 9-year-old child were sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot of a motel when they were approached by a man holding a semi-automatic pistol.

Seeing the gunman get closer, the driver of the vehicle started to drive away. The suspect grabbed a door handle but was unable to open the door as the car moved away, so he fled on foot.

An hour later a witness saw a man matching the description of the suspect walking near the motel. GGPD officers responded and found him in the area of Palm Street and Garden Grove Boulevard. The suspect fled on foot and as he ran, dropped a loaded “ghost gun” in the street.

A “ghost gun” is a privately-made firearm without commercial serial numbers and therefore hard to trace.

The suspect jumped a fence into a nearby residential neighborhood south of Garden Grove Boulevard and was caught and arrested in the driveway of a home. His identity was confirmed by witnesses and he was booked into Orange County Jail in Santa Ana.

He faces charges of attempted carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Anyone with more information, or who might be another victim, is asked to contact Detective Nick Lazenby at (714) 741-5856.