Mark McLellan, a resident of Santa Monica, was given the Citizen Involvement Award by Santa Monica Police for thwarting the theft of a neighbor’s bicycle.
According to police reports, on June 26, 2009, at approximately 9 a.m., McLellan left his home to attend a business meeting. As he drove away, McLellan saw a male subject sitting on a cement ledge, just north of his residence.
McLellan returned home fifteen minutes later and saw the same subject exiting his subterranean garage with a bicycle. McLellan knew that the bicycle belonged to a resident in the complex and confronted the subject. McLellan asked what the man was doing with the bicycle and the subject stated that he was borrowing the bicycle from a friend.
McLellan knew the owner of the bicycle and did not believe the subject’s statement.
As he began to dial 911, the subject dropped the bicycle and fled… McLellan pursued the subject for several blocks until he eventually detained him in a bank parking lot. The chased would-be thief became combative and McLellan defended himself before police arrived.
It was later determined that the subject was on active patrol for burglary, prior to McLellan’s intervention. This was inferred when police later found that the subject was in possession of channel lock wire cutters.
The subject was arrested for residential burglary, possession of burglary tools, obstructing the use of a wireless phone at the time of an emergency, and a parole violation.
McLellan was commended for his discretion, quick thinking, and ability to act under pressure by the Santa Monica Police. His actions resulted in the arrest of a burglary suspect who was in the process of victimizing a member of the Santa Monica community.
“You are a tremendous asset to our community,” McLellan was told at the ceremony. “Your involvement reflects the highest level of citizen participation thereby making the City of Santa Monica a safer place to live.”
At the same ceremony where McLellan was commended for his actions, four new SMPD officers were sworn in. The new officers are Maricela Perez, Armando Gomez,Kevin McInerney, and Peter Zamfirov.
