Tim Broughton
Mirror Contributor
Iron Lady.
On Tuesday, November 21, at 2:25 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a call for service about a suspicious person who had been seen walking around an apartment complex located in the 1700 block of Delaware Avenue. As the officers were en route to the location they were informed by dispatch that the reporting party had seen a strange woman loitering about the property and the reporting party had opened her front door to investigate and as she did so the strange woman ran off and got in to a car being driven by a man. The officers were told that the car had sped eastbound on Delaware Avenue. The officers arrived at the scene and soon spotted the suspect vehicle driving south on Alley 17. The officers stopped the car and spoke to both of the occupants. The officers learned that both of these individuals (one male and one female) were both on probation with search conditions (this means that as part of their probation they can be searched by the police at any time). The officers detained both occupants and searched the vehicle and soon discovered a set of metal knuckles and a pellet gun belonging to the female suspect. The officers arrested the woman, aged 19 and from Santa Monica and she was later charged with possession of metal knuckles. The suspect was released from jail after being issued with a citation.
Stairway to Hell.
On Wednesday, November 22, at 2:13 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a radio call informing them that a man was at “the stairs,” located at Fourth Street and Adelaide Drive and that he was threatening people with a knife. As the officers were en route to “the stairs” they were told that the victim had been exercising on “the stairs” and that as he had reached the top of “the stairs” the suspect had been sitting on the top stair blocking his path. The victim asked the suspect to move at which point the suspect lost his mind and began yelling at the victim. The suspect then produced a fixed blade knife and began to make stabbing motions at the victim while he chased the victim. The victim, perhaps being a little physically fitter than the suspect due to his exercise regimen at “the stairs,” began to outpace the suspect so the suspect threw the knife at the victim. The knife missed the victim and the victim remained uninjured. The officers located the suspect in the 200 block of San Vicente Boulevard and after being identified by the victim arrested this 54-year-old homeless man. This man was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats. Bail was set at $50,000.
I Say, Innkeeper!
On Friday, November 24, at 1:49 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a call for service at Ye Olde Kings Head, located at 116 Santa Monica Boulevard. The officers were told that a man had entered the premises at about 11:30 p.m. the previous evening, ordered a large number of alcoholic drinks (most of which he consumed himself), purchased some cigarettes and when he had been presented with the bill (at closing time) he had informed the manager that he was not able to pay the bill. The total amount owed was $129.15 (not including tip). The officers spoke with the management of the bar and restaurant and they were desirous of a prosecution so the officers arrested this 24-year-old Long Beach resident and he was later charged with defrauding an innkeeper. Bail was set at $500.
He Matched The Description.
On Friday, November 24, at 9:53 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to attend to an incident at the Chevron Gas Station, located at 432 Wilshire Boulevard, in order to investigate a battery that had just occurred. As the officers were en route the details of the incident were relayed to them via radio from the dispatch center. The officers learned that the suspect had entered the gas station and requested that the store clerk give him a book of matches. The store clerk told the suspect that they did not have any matches. The suspect then became angry that they didn’t have the matches and began to throw items of merchandise about the store. Firstly he threw two bottles of water at the clerk but they missed. Then he threw other items at the clerk and they missed as well. Then, in his evident frustration, the suspect pushed the computer monitor to the floor before eventually striking the store clerk with a vape pen that he had thrown at the clerk. When the officers arrived at the location they went in search of the suspect and discovered a man who matched the description loitering in the 1300 block of Fourth Street. The officers searched this man and discovered that he was in possession of narcotics paraphernalia (which could possibly go some way to explaining his evidently odd behavior). This 24-year-old Los Angeles resident was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and possession of narcotics paraphernalia. Bail was set at $30,000.
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.