A quick response from Santa Monica police officers on Friday, June 13 led to the arrest of a car thief immediately after the suspect had smashed the vehicle’s window and stole the car.
Officers of the Santa Monica Police Department, who were engaged in a specialized detail in the northeast portion of Santa Monica that he had been set up to deal with increased reports of vehicle thefts in the area, received a call at 4:51 am about a smashed vehicle window in the 500 block of 15th Street, and that the vehicle had just been ransacked.
The caller was an ADT Security agent.
The officers were able to quickly respond to the scene and locate a vehicle that matched the description of the car given to dispatch.
The officers pulled the car over and questioned the driver.
This man appeared very nervous and was sweating profusely. A female passenger accompanied the man.
The officers noticed that this man had a sharp pointed object protruding from his clothing and upon further examination discovered that this was a long metal screwdriver, wrapped in cloth.
The officers’ training reminded them that this was a typical device that criminals use in order to “punch” a vehicle window, thus breaking it in order to enter the vehicle.
The officers also discovered many other tools commonly used to break into cars.
This man was arrested and charged with possession of burglary tools, violation of probation, and driving with a suspended license.
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.
