On Thursday, Jan. 12, at 12:20 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were on patrol in the area of Fourth Street and Pico Boulevard when they noticed a person who they knew to be on probation loitering suspiciously in the Arco gas station located at 332 Pico Boulevard.
The officers decided to talk with this man but as they approached, he sped away on his bicycle. The officers gave chase in their vehicle, but as they were following him down Fourth Street to Bay Street, the man stopped and threw his bicycle down in front of the police car impeding its forward motion.
The man then removed a plastic “baggie” from his pocket and began to empty the contents, a white crystal-like substance, into the gutter.
The man then attempted to swallow the empty “baggie” but the officers were able to grab him and stop him. He eventually spat the “baggie” out of his mouth.
This 37-year-old man was charged with destroying evidence, resisting officers, and a probation violation. His bail was set at $10,000.
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.
