A Collision With Fate.
On Friday, April 22, at 10:13pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call informing them that a man had been seen driving his motor vehicle along the 600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard and as he had been doing so he had been seen to strike several parked vehicles on the street. The officers rushed to the scene and spotted this man in his car driving erratically. The officers conducted a traffic stop and questioned the driver. The officers noted that this man displayed the symptoms of alcohol intoxication (examples include watery eyes, slurred speech, inability to understand simple questions and delusions of grandeur). The officers asked this man to exit his vehicle and after he had done so they performed a field sobriety test (these tests include requesting the suspect to stand on one leg, reciting the alphabet backwards, walking in a straight line, touching the end of their nose with one finger and looking at the officer with one eye closed). The man failed the sobriety test so the officers arrested this 20-year-old Los Angeles resident and he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a valid drivers’ license and not having any automobile insurance. The man was released shortly after being charged.
Insecurity.
On Saturday, April 22, at 1:28pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a report that a vehicle had been burglarized in the 1100 block of 18th Street. The officers sped to the scene and whilst they were en route they were informed that a witness had seen a man enter an open carport area of an apartment complex and open the door of one of the parked vehicles within the parking area. The witness added that this man had taken some items from this vehicle. The witness gave the police a description of the suspect and when the officers arrived at the scene they scoured the area for the suspect and eventually found the man in the 1700 area of California Avenue. The officers questioned this man and asked him if they could search him. The man agreed and they discovered items upon him that did not belong to him. The officers confirmed that these items had been taken from the vehicle and this 28-year-old homeless man was arrested and charged with petty theft. The items were returned to the rightful owner and the suspect was released after being charged.
A Marked Man.
On Saturday, April 23, at 3:46pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department who were on a routine patrol in the area of the 600 block of Broadway Avenue spotted a man who was at that time in the process of writing what turned out to be meaningless slogans and nonsensical statements on a lamp post with a black permanent marker. The officers stopped this man and attempted to talk with him about his behavior. This man responded with a somewhat hostile and less than cooperative approach towards the officers in addition to refusing to provide the officers with his name. The officers responded by arresting this 43-year-old homeless man and he was charged with vandalism and obstructing and delaying an investigation. Bail was set at $10,000.
He Hauled.
On Wednesday, April 20, at 8:25am officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were on routine patrol in the 1200 block of Ninth Street when they spotted a suspected stolen vehicle parked on the street. The officers stopped and utilized their technology in order to confirm that this U-Haul truck had indeed been reported as stolen after being rented some days prior from the U-Haul location at 1747 Lincoln Boulevard and had not been returned. The officers located the name and address of the individual who had been responsible for renting the U-Haul truck and discovered that this man resided in the area. The officers went to the man’s place of residence and knocked on his door. The man answered the door and the officers questioned this man about the U-Haul truck. The man could not give the officers a valid reason as to why he had not returned the U-Haul truck so the officers arrested this man and he was charged with vehicle theft. This 54-year-old Santa Monica man was later released.
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.
