By Tim Broughton
Sudden Encounter.
On Friday, October 27, at 2 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a report of a possible assault hat had just occurred in the area of Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Boulevard. The officers rushed to the location in order to investigate. Upon Arrival at the scene the officers spoke with the victim who told them that he had been walking along the Promenade when the suspect approached him. He said that the suspect then pushed him causing him to fall upon the ground. He added that this suspect then proceeded to strike him several times around the area of his head and neck. At that time, the victim stated, some witnesses began to yell at the suspect to cease his attack and the suspect then walked away. The witnesses were able to direct the officers to the whereabouts of this 31-year-old homeless man and the officers arrested this man and he was later charged with assault. Bail for this man was set at $20,000.
He Wanted To Kill.
On Friday, October 27, at 1:01 a.m. an officer of the Santa Monica Police Department who was on patrol in the area of the 100 block of Alta Avenue spotted a suspicious looking individual enter a carport located on the street. This individual spotted the officer and suddenly exited the carport and began to run away. The officer gave chase and soon caught up with the suspect and at that moment the suspect turned around and told the officer that he was going to kill him. The suspect refused to comply with the officer’s commands and so other officers arrived at the scene and this man was arrested and later charged with criminal threats and resisting an officer. Bail for this 40-year-old homeless man was set at $50,000.
Undiplomatic Behavior Witnessed By Ambassador.
On Sunday, October 29, at 12:10 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department Downtown Unit received a radio call informing them that a male was performing lewd acts at that time in the area of Fourth Street and Colorado Boulevard so the officers hastened to the scene to investigate. Upon arrival at the location the officers were met with a Downtown Ambassador who told the officers that the suspect had been exposing and pleasuring himself in front of numerous citizens. The Downtown Ambassador indicated to the officers that he wished to initiate a private person’s arrest on the indecent exposer. The officers went in search of the suspect and spotted him in the 1500 block of Alley Number Four and after he had been positively identified by the Downtown Ambassador this suspect was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. Upon arrival at Santa Monica Jail it was discovered that this 59-year-old homeless man had been the subject of numerous other allegations of this kind and that he was at the time on probation for indecent exposure. Bail was set at $10,000.
Party Cut Short.
On Saturday, October 28, at 6:10 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to the Fairmont Hotel, located at 101 Wilshire Boulevard, in order to investigate a fraud allegation. Upon arrival at the hotel the officers spoke with the hotel management and learned that there were, at that time, multiple guests staying in two rooms that had been booked with a fraudulent credit card. The officers went up to the rooms and located the woman who had booked the rooms. This woman had a felony bench warrant from San Bernardino. The officers looked around the room and spotted a clear plastic bag containing a crystallized white substance that turned out to be methamphetamine. The officers also discovered drug paraphernalia and several credit cards in other people’s names. The officers detained this woman and further investigated. During the course of the investigation the officers encountered a man who was on probation for a firearms violation. The officers searched this individual and discovered that he was in possession of copious amounts of heroin along with items indicative that narcotics sales had been performed in the hotel rooms. The female suspect, aged 37 and from Carson was arrested and charged with defrauding an innkeeper, credit card fraud, identity theft and possession of narcotics while the male suspect, aged 27 and from Los Angeles was charged with possession of narcotics. Bail was denied for both suspects.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of The Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.