By Tim Broughton
Middle Of The Road.
On Tuesday, January 3, at 8:46 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to Sixth Street and Pico Boulevard in regard to a traffic collision. The officers learned that a vehicle had struck the center median and as a result had caused some damage to the fence in the median. When the officers arrived at the location they saw that the driver of the vehicle was attempting to reverse his car away from the point of impact. The officers asked this man as he sat in his vehicle and they immediately detected in this man the telltale signs of alcohol intoxication (odor of alcohol, blurry and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and unsteadiness). A few moments later paramedics from the Santa Monica Fire Department arrived and treated this man for some minor injuries he had sustained as a result of the collision. After the paramedics had treated this man the officers asked him to exit the vehicle but he refused and became combative with the officers. The officers were forced to physically remove this man from the vehicle and after taking this man to a local hospital for a checkup they arrested the 40-year-old man and he was later charged with driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving under a suspended license. Bail was set at $25,000.
De Caffeinated.
On Tuesday, January 3, at 8:35 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a call for service regarding a suspicious person who was at the Starbuck’s Coffee Shop located at 2525 Wilshire Blvd. The reporting party had informed dispatch that he had recognized a man inside the Starbuck’s as possibly being the same person who had vandalized the reporting party’s home the previous night. The officers arrived at the location and spoke with the reporting party who then proceeded to point the suspect out to the officers. The suspect was, at that time, sitting at a table inside the coffee shop enjoying a cup of coffee. The officers beckoned for the suspect to exit the establishment and the man arose from his seat with his cup of coffee, walked to the exit, but instead of stopping outside continued to walk away from the officers as if nothing was happening. The officers commanded this man to stop but he didn’t and instead started to run away. The officers gave chase and suddenly the man stopped, turned around and the coffee at the officers. After a short foot pursuit the man was caught and detained by the officers. The officers arrested this 31-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with assault and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $30,000.
Something Fishy Going On.
On Wednesday, January 4, at 12:47 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a report from The Enterprise Fish Company (a popular local eatery that specializes, as the name suggests, in seafood dishes), located at 174 Kinney Street and that a man was brandishing a weapon and walking around the restaurant causing waves of fear in the hearts of the patrons and staff members. The officers rushed to the location and upon entry spotted the suspect standing behind an employee at the counter. The suspect was brandishing a metal object that had a menacing looking spike attached to it. The officers encouraged this man to drop the weapon so they could detain him but the suspect didn’t take the bait and instead motioned towards the officers in a threatening manner. The officers were forced to deal with this man from a different angle so they immediately tackled him and hauled him out of the restaurant. The officers then interviewed the staff members and netted some more detailed information about the incident. They learned that the man had originally entered the premises carrying a knife. They also discovered that this man had walked around the restaurant with the knife before placing it on the bar and picking up the spiked metal object from behind the bar. The officers arrested this 31-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with brandishing a weapon and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $20,000.
Bad Credit.
On Thursday, January 5, at 11:52 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department who were on routine patrol in the area of the 500 block of Colorado Boulevard spotted two suspicious looking individuals lurking in the doorway of a closed business. The officers stopped and chatted with these two men and discovered that one of the subjects was on parole for robbery. The officers conducted a search of this man and discovered that he was in possession of numerous credit cards belonging to persons other than himself and that he could not give a valid reason as to why he had these credit cards. The officers were able to contact the owner of one of these credit cards who told them that it had been stolen from a vehicle several weeks prior. The officers arrested this 29-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with receiving stolen property and a violation of parole. Bail was not granted.
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.
