A 30-year-old homeless man was tasered and then arrested on Friday, May 30 after trying to fight police who confronted him over an illegal campfire.
Officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to 819 Ocean Park Boulevard at 9:40 pm on this day in order to investigate a report of a man who was at the rear of the property and was starting a campfire.
When the first officer arrived at the scene he witnessed the sight of a man sitting upon a discarded sofa whilst tossing newspapers onto a stack of wood that was ablaze.
The burning wood was about two-feet away from a wooden fence and about one-foot away from the sofa.
The officer asked the suspect to arise from the sofa and place his hands behind his back so that the officer could conduct a search.
The suspect initially complied but as the officer grabbed hold of the suspect’s hands he broke free and began to run away.
The officer radioed into dispatch that a foot pursuit was underway and chased after the suspect towards the 1000 block of Ocean Park Boulevard.
The suspect then ran into the street and stopped, taking up a fighting stance.
The officer deployed his X-26 Taser and after stunning the suspect took him into custody.
This 30-year-old homeless man was later charged with starting an illegal fire and fleeing from the police.
Bail was set at $10,000.
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.
