Residents in one Ladera Ranch neighborhood saw crime tape and police vehicles when they awakened Tuesday morning as authorities investigated what appeared to be the first in a string of shootings across Orange County that left at least four people dead, including the suspect, and others wounded.

Jason Glass said he was across the street from the crime scene, working in his garage, when between 2 and 3 a.m. he heard what he now believes were three to five gunshots. About 4 a.m., Glass said, he "heard a bunch of ruckus" — no yelling, but lots of doors slamming — before a car sped away from the house.

"I just thought somebody was being really loud and obnoxious," Glass said.

PHOTOS: Shootings at multiple locations in O.C.

Deputies arrived about 4:45 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from inside the home reporting a shooting, Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said. Deputies found a woman dead inside the home; no one else was hurt. It's unclear whether anyone was home at the time of the shooting.

The suspect, described as a man in his 20s, fled in an SUV to Tustin, where “multiple incidents” occurred, Amormino said.

“There’s a lot to sort out,” he said.

MAP: Orange County shootings

Tustin Police Lt. Paul Garaven said the suspect attempted to carjack multiple vehicles in Tustin, with each shooting occurring a few minutes apart.

Police received a report about 5:30 a.m. of a carjacking near Red Hill Avenue and Nisson Road near the 5 Freeway in Tustin, Garaven said.

The carjacking suspect opened fire and wounded a bystander, he said.

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Soon after that, another carjacking was reported near the 55 Freeway, Garaven said. The victim of that carjacking was killed, Garaven said. A body lay covered by a yellow tarp on Village Way near the McFadden Avenue freeway entrance.

Another shooting was reported on Edinger Avenue near the Micro Center in Tustin, Garaven said. Officers confirmed that another carjacking had taken place, he said.