On Thursday, July 21, at 5:35 p.m., officers of the Santa Monica Police Department, who had been assigned to the Third Street Bicycle Unit, went to the Copa D’Oro restaurant located at 217 Broadway in response to an assault that had just occurred. When they arrived at the scene they spoke with the victim and a witness who told them what had happened.
The officers learned that the victim and witness had been standing outside the restaurant when a man had walked past them, and suddenly without any warning, had punched the victim in the face with a clenched fist (this is called a “sucker punch,” in urban street vernacular). The victim and witness did not personally know the assailant, had never met him, and had never had any dealings with him in any way whatsoever. After receiving the punch, the victim fell to the ground, while the witness followed the offender until the police arrived and detained him.
The victim had suffered swelling and a small laceration to the front of his mouth and nose. The victim was desirous of a prosecution, so the suspect, a 33-year-old homeless man, was arrested and charged with assault and battery. His bail was set at $20,000.
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
