Man pleads guilty to throwing burning rags on O.C. Sheriff’s Department patrol car in New Year’s Day incident

SANTA ANA — A 38-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday and was immediately sentenced to time served in custody for throwing burning rags onto a sheriff’s patrol car in Stanton on New Year’s Day.

Nicholas Lam of Stanton, arrested on Jan. 1, was also placed on five years of formal probation, said Deputy District Attorney Angela Hong.

A felony count of assault with a weapon on a peace officer was dismissed as part of the plea deal, according to court records.

Lam was seen driving into a parking structure for the sheriff’s department’s Stanton Station early on Jan. 1, according to Jaimee Blashaw, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department. Deputies recognized him because they have had prior contacts with him, she said.

About 12:20 a.m., Lam was seen throwing a burning rag over the parking lot wall onto a patrol vehicle, Blashaw said.

Deputies caught up to Lam a short time later, but when they tried to stop his vehicle he punched the gas and tried to flee before crashing into a patrol car, Blashaw said.

Both sheriff’s patrol cars sustained minor damage and no one was injured, she said.