A Los Angeles resident who tried to pay with a fake $100 bill at Johnnie’s Pizza on the Third Street Promenade was arrested after returning to the restaurant he had run away from 20 minutes earlier on Sept. 1.
At 5:50 p.m., Santa Monica police officers were on foot patrol on the Third Street Promenade when they were called to Johnnie’s Pizza, located at 1444 Third Street Promenade in response to a fraud report.
When the officers arrived at this pizza restaurant they spoke with the store manager who told them a pair of men had entered the restaurant and had individually ordered meals.
These men had consumed the meals and when it came time to pay they had each paid with $100 bills.
An eagle-eyed staff member had noticed that these bills did not appear kosher so she examined them more closely.
The two men, who by that time were sitting together, noticed this examination occurring and ran out of the store.
About 20 minutes later one of the suspects returned to the store apparently after pangs of guilt had urged him to clear his name.
The officers spoke with this man and decided that his story, like the $100 bills, was fake.
This 19-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged with making a fictitious check and his bail was set at $20,000.
The officers are still looking for the other suspect.
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.
