A 32-year-old homeless man was arrested on Monday, Sept. 15 after consuming food at a Santa Monica Pier restaurant then trying to flee without paying.
Officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at 4:45 pm on this day in order to investigate a person who had refused to pay his bill.
The officers, upon arrival, spoke with a staff member who told them that a couple (man and woman) had entered the restaurant and consumed food to the value of $50.
The staff member said that after they had finished the meal the female half left the restaurant, and that a few minutes later the male half had attempted to leave.
At that point the bartender, who had been keeping an eye on this pair, confronted this man and inquired as to whether he intended to pay for the food.
The man allegedly said that he thought his girlfriend was going to pay, but she had gone. It was then that the police were called.
The officers then spoke with the suspect who at that time was sitting at the bar, and he told the officers that he was not going to pay the bill.
The officers noted that this man appeared rather intoxicated and when they attempted to take him into custody he began yelling profanities at them.
This man was charged with defrauding an innkeeper and public intoxication. Bail was set at $500.
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.
