On Friday, Feb. 3, at 3:59 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department went to the 1800 block of Fourth Street to respond to a collision between a car and a bicyclist.
As the officers were en route to the scene the officers were told that the bicyclist was being attended to by SMFD paramedics, but also that he was attempting to fight with the paramedics.
The officers arrived and spoke with the paramedics who told them that, yes indeed, the bicyclist was injured, but was also intoxicated and wanted to fight them. The officers noted that the cyclist was still yelling profanities and challenging everyone to a fight.
The officers spoke further with the paramedics who told them that when they had arrived to help this man he had arisen from the ground, shouted profanities at them, and then charged at them in a violent and threatening manner.
The officers continued their investigation and determined that this drunken rider had been cycling on the sidewalk and had veered in front of the other vehicle, causing the collision.
This 21-year-old man, who refused to say where he lived, was arrested and charged with assault on a paramedic, interfering with rescue personnel, threatening a public officer, riding a bicycle while intoxicated, and failing to ride a bicycle on the correct side of the road. 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.