On Thursday, Jan. 27, at 10:45 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called to the 1500 block of Ocean Avenue in order to investigate a car jacking. When the officers arrived they spoke with the victims who said that they had been to see a show on the Santa Monica Pier.
The victims then told the officers that they in the process of retrieving their vehicle from the valet at 1541 Ocean Avenue when, just as one of the victims was about to lower herself into the driving seat, a staggering man approached, dragged her from the vehicle, and proceeded to sit in the drivers’ seat and drive northbound on Ocean Avenue.
The victim had been dragged a few feet as she had attempted to hold on to the drivers’ door, but thankfully had let go just in time.
The officers conducted a search of the area to try to find the vehicle, a silver 2008 Chevrolet Impala, but were sadly unable to locate the vehicle. The officers then initiated a carjacking and robbery investigation and the description of the car was radioed out to the relevant agencies. At 11:20 p.m. LAPD notified the officers that they had spotted the vehicle being driven along Santa Monica Boulevard at Butler Avenue.
The LAPD had given chase, and after a pursuit they had been able to get the suspected criminal at La Cienega and Hill Street, but not before the suspected criminal had hit a motorcyclist, causing injury. It was decided that the LAPD would handle the pursuit, felony hit and run, and the DUI charges that resulted.
The Santa Monica officers went to the scene and this man was identified and taken into custody. During the routine pat down of the suspected criminal the officers discovered methamphetamine concealed upon the suspected criminal’s person.
This 29-year-old man was arrested and taken to jail where he was charged with carjacking, possession of a controlled substance, and a probation violation. His bail was set at $100,000.
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.
