Santa Monica police arrested a 41-year-old Studio City man on Wednesday, Oct. 23 after he tried to buy three iPhones from the Third Street Promenade Apple store using fraudulent identification.
Officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to the Apple Store at 1415 Third Street Promenade at 3:23 pm on this day in order to investigate a report of a possible fraud.
When they arrived they spoke with the Loss Prevention Agent of the store who told them that he had the suspect in custody.
The Loss Prevention Agent continued to tell the officers that this suspect had entered the store and had attempted to purchase three iPhones. The suspect had, after being requested to according to store protocol, offered a form of identification.
The suspect produced a California Drivers’ License that displayed the name of another person but with the suspect’s photograph superimposed on the license.
The officers questioned the suspect who only admitted to being a “shopper.”
The officers probed further and the suspect claimed that he had been given instructions by “another person” in order to buy the iPhones.
He alleged that he had been paid $30 for each phone he purchased.
The officers contacted the person whose name was on the California Drivers’ License and this person denied that she knew the suspect or that she had given permission for him to use her identification.
Based upon the evidence the officers arrested this man and he was charged with identity theft, burglary, fraudulent use of a drivers’ license, and forgery of a State document.
Bail was set at $50,000.
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.
