newportbeachindy . com MAY 26 , 2023 7
Newport Beach Police Department Arrest Costa Mesa Resident for Assault With a Firearm
By NB Indy Staff
On May 19 at approximately 10:32 p . m ., Newport Beach Police responded to the 100 block of McFadden Pl . in reference to an assault with a firearm . Officers arrived on scene and determined there had been a verbal confrontation between two male subjects when one of the males shot the other with a handgun .
The victim , who sustained a nonlife threatening gunshot wound , was transported to an area hospital and has since been treated and released .
Evidence collected at the scene , including witness statements , led officers to contact and arrest one male subject for several charges , including Attempted Murder , Felon in Possession of Ammunition , and Unlawful Possession of a Dirk or Dagger .
The arrestee has been identified as Austin Knott , a 30-year old resident of Costa Mesa .
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Mike Fletcher at ( 949 ) 644-3779 or mfletcher @ NBPD . org .
BIZ BUZZ
The Electric Bike Company : A Newport Success Story
Electric Bike
Company owner Sean Lupton- Smith with one of his e-bikes
By Richard Simon | NB Indy
Few people have heard of the Madiba Bike Company . Unfortunately , among those few were attorneys who sued South African-born entrepreneur Sean Lupton-Smith out of the bicycle business , albeit temporarily .
The reason ? South African antiapartheid activist and politician Nelson “ Madiba ” Mandela had ( upon his lawyers ’ recommendations ) trademarked that name worldwide .
Undeterred , Lupton-Smith pondered the power of names , realized that the best monikers incorporated the type of product to be marketed , and thus was born The Electric Bike Company in 2014 , in Newport Beach . Step back to 1998 : Lupton-Smith followed his brothers , Mark and Craig , to the states on his own dime , after both siblings were awarded tennis scholarships to major universities . At the time , there were no scholarships for adventure kayakers , which Lupton- Smith was . In fact , he may have been lucky to arrive in the states at all , since his paddling efforts were down untamed , crocodile-and-hippo-infested rivers . He also took to sea kayaking in the waters off Cape Town , where Great Whites by the thousands were considered guppies if they didn ’ t reach at least 24-feet in length .
After college , the brothers bought into a restaurant franchise in Atlanta , GA , called the Atlanta Bread Co . Unfortunately , brother Mark passed away , so Lupton-Smith took over the franchise , which he grew to 17 outlets .
“ At that point I was lucky enough to sell the business ,” he recounted .
Retired and restless , Lupton-Smith returned to South Africa , with the intention of “ giving back .” A believer in “ prosperity through mobility ,” he
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