By Tim Broughton
Rants and Raves.
On Wednesday, March 21, at 9:36 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were conducting a routine “liveability check” along the 1500 block of the I-10 Freeway embankment when they chanced upon a tent. The officers approached the tent and as they did so a man came out of the tent. The officers recognized this man as being an individual who had previously been warned about not being allowed to camp next to the freeway. Once again the officers told this man that he was prohibited from camping next to the freeway and in response this man began yelling and ranting and raving at the officers. In response to this man’s ranting and raving the officers arrested this 62-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with camping in violation of Santa Monica Municipal codes that prohibit camping at certain locations and accumulation of refuse. Bail was set at $500.
The Piper.
On Thursday, March 22, at 5:20 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call informing them that a man was wielding a metal pipe whilst chasing a citizen in the 1500 block of Second Street. The officers hastened to the location and soon spotted the pipe-yielding man but as they approached him the man began to run away. The man then threw the metal pipe at the officers’ patrol car and it struck the passenger side window of the patrol car. After a brief foot pursuit the officers caught this suspect and he was taken into custody. The officers then spoke with the citizen whom the pipe-wielding man had been chasing and he told the officers that he had been walking along the 1400 block of Court Two when he spotted the suspect rummaging through a privately owned dumpster. The citizen said that he had told this man that he was on private property and was not allowed to rummage through the dumpster. At this the suspect began hurling abuse at the citizen and then went over to a flatbed truck and picked up the metal pipe before raising it above his head and charging at the citizen. The citizen said that he ran away at that time. After the citizen had positively identified the suspect the officers arrested this 60-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $30,000.
It’s Fun To Stay At The YMCA.
On Thursday, March 22 at 4:13 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out the the YMCA, located at 1332 Sixth Street, in order to investigate a possible assault with a deadly weapon. When the officers arrived at the scene they located both the victim (a female YMCA employee) and the suspect in the subterranean parking garage at the location. The suspect put up a brief struggle but was soon constrained by the officers. The officers spoke with the victim and learned that she had spotted the suspect sleeping in a stairwell of the center with beer bottles strewn about the area. The victim said that she had asked the suspect to leave and in response the suspect had stood up and spat at her resulting in spittle striking her on her face. The suspect then threw a beer bottle at her and is narrowly missed striking her. She added that she had then left the area and returned to the office in order to call the police. After she had called the police she crept back down the stairs to observe the suspect but he spotted her and ran towards her swinging a plastic bag full of beer bottles while yelling that he was going to kill her. The suspect then struck the victim on the shoulder with the bag of beer bottles. It was then the the officers arrived at the location. The officers arrested the suspect, aged 46 and homeless and he was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, resisting arrest with violence and a violation of probation. Bail was not granted.
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.
