By Tim Broughton
Sleeper (goes to) Cell
On Wednesday, September 27, at 10:18 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to investigate a report of a fight that was in progress at the Santa Monica Place Mall. As the officers were en route to the scene they were informed that the fight was between a Santa Monica Place Mall security guard and an unidentified male subject. The officers arrived at the location and saw that the security guard was on top of the male subject holding him down on the ground. The male subject was then handcuffed by the officers while they began their investigation. The security guard told the officers that he had received a request from the management of the True Foods Restaurant (located in the mall) asking him to move a man who was sleeping near the entrance of the business. He said that he went to the restaurant and recognized the sleeping man as being an individual with whom he had experienced numerous other complaints about in the past. He added that he asked this man to leave and that the man arose, began to walk away but as he did so he assaulted the security guard by striking him on the hand causing his cell phone to tumble onto the ground. A brief struggle ensued and the security guard overpowered the suspect until the officers arrived. The officers arrested the suspect, aged 21 and from Los Angeles and he was later charged with battery. Bail was set at $20,000.
Not Serene.
On Thursday, September 28, at 8:41 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call informing them that an assault with a deadly weapon had just happened in the area of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue. The officers hastened to the location and as they were doing so they were told that the suspect had used his automobile as a weapon and had struck several pedestrians. The officers apprehended the suspect vehicle in the 100 block of Colorado and detained the driver while they conducted their investigation. The officers discovered that the driver of the vehicle had been involved in an argument with a pedestrian while the driver was in his car waiting at a red light. At some point during the confrontation the driver had exited his vehicle and approached the pedestrian whereupon the pedestrian had punched the driver in the face. The driver had then returned to his car and retrieved a knife which he then waved around while making threats towards the pedestrian. At that time an uninvolved citizen had intervened in order to attempt to calm the situation and the pedestrian began to walk away, apparently in a calm state of mind. The driver of the car had evidently not relaxed into a similar state of relative serenity because after getting back into his vehicle he drive towards the pedestrian and struck him with the vehicle. Although the victim was less than cooperative with the officers, and declined medical attention, the officers arrested the car driver, aged 27 and from Covina, and he was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $30,000.
Declined.
On Sunday, October 1, at 4:37 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were called out to a possible fight that was happening at the Ralph’s Market, located at 1644 Cloverfield Blvd. When the officers arrived they spotted the two individuals involved, namely a man and a woman, and detained them while they investigated. The officers learned that these two people had been involved in a dispute over a financial debt and that the woman had entered the store to use the ATM machine inside the store to withdraw money with which to settle the dept. However, her request for withdrawal was declined by the machine and when she exited the store she told the other party that she was unable to obtain the money. An argument ensued and the female threw a bottle of water at the male before she kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the chest. The victim in this case was desirous of a prosecution so the officers arrested the woman, aged 26 and a resident of Santa Monica and she was later charged with battery. Bail was set at $20,000
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.
