A 48-year-old Santa Monica man was arrested Friday, April 19 for trying to steal $170 of beef, shrimp, and lobster in his laptop bag at the Ralphs at 1644 Cloverfield Boulevard.
At 1:38 pm officers of the Santa Monica Police Department went to the Ralphs after they had received a report of a man who was being detained at the store on suspicion of theft.
After they arrived at Ralphs the officers spoke with the loss prevention officer from the store who informed them that he had been on duty at the store (preventing loss) when he noticed the suspect enter the store.
The loss prevention officer added that he recognized this man from previous theft incidents that he had been involved in.
He told the officers that he had watched as this man went to the meat department and ordered some beef, shrimp, and lobster.
The man then walked away from the meat counter and concealed the beef, shrimp, and lobster inside a laptop computer case that he had been carrying.
The man then left the store without attempting to pay for this trio of proteins.
He was then detained, and the beef, shrimp and lobster, with a total value of $170, was recovered.
This man was arrested and charged with theft. Bail was set at $1,000.
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.
