By Tim Broughton
Wrong Aid Pharmacy.
On Monday, December 12, at 2:10 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department who were on patrol in the Beach Parking Lot Number Three, located at 1150 Pacific Coast Highway spotted a vehicle in the lot that was in violation of a municipal code. The officers approached this car and as they did noticed the pungent telltale signs of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. The officers then noticed that a passenger in the vehicle was holding a pipe. The officers spoke with the occupants and discovered that the driver was on probation for burglary with search conditions. The officers asked both of the occupants of the car to exit and as these people did so the officers noticed that the passenger had dropped a bag. The officers looked inside this bag and discovered that it contained cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and a variety of pharmaceuticals. The officers then searched the car and found packaging material typically used by drug dealers as well as a sizeable amount of money. The officers arrested the passenger of the car, aged 23 and from Temple City and he was later charged with possession of opiates for sale, possession of cocaine for sale, selling and transporting cocaine, and possession of methamphetamine for sale. Bail was set at $30,000.
Bitter Sweet.
On Tuesday, December 13, at 5:59 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call informing them that a petty theft had just occurred at See’s Candies, located at 1227 Wilshire Blvd. As the officers were en route to the location they received a second radio call informing them that an assault had just occurred at the Von’s Market, just up the street from See’s Candies at 1311 Wilshire Blvd. The officers arrived at the location and detained the suspect while they initiated their investigation. The officers learned that this man had entered See’s Candies, selected numerous boxes of enticing chocolates and then proceeded to the Von’s Market. When this man had arrived at the Von’s Market he selected a number of items from the display shelves and attempted to leave without paying for the items. The Von’s security guard confronted the man and the man responded by adopting a fighting stance. The security guard responded to the fighting stance adopted by the man by utilizing a pepper spray and targeting the man with the spray. This man then broke a bottle of alcohol and using the jagged edge of the bottle he attacked the security guard. The security guard deftly dogged the man’s assault and sprayed the man with pepper spray a second time, disabling the suspect. The officers arrested this 40-year-old homeless man and he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and a violation of probation. Bail was set at $30,000.
Light Sleeper.
On Wednesday, December 14, at 3:41 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a radio call regarding possible grand theft auto in progress at 1441 24th St. The victim had stated that he had caught someone attempting to steal his car. As the officers sped to the location they located a possible suspect attempting to flee the scene in another stolen vehicle. The officers stopped this man in the 2200 block of Broadway and began investigating. The officers learned that the reporting party had been woken up when he had heard his car being started outside his home. The victim had run outside and apprehended the suspect inside the victim’s car. The suspect had then returned several items that he had removed from the victim’s car to the victim and had walked away. The victim positively identified the suspect and the officers also discovered that the suspect was in possession of a number of other stolen items inside the stolen car that he had been driving. The officers arrested this 18-year-old Los Angeles resident and he was charged with driving a vehicle without consent, theft, identity theft and receiving stolen property. Bail was set at $100,000.
Wrong Outfit.
On Tuesday, December 13, at 10:28 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call from staff at Urban Outfitters, located at 1440 Third Street Promenade informing them that a man was inside the store and that this man was acting suspiciously. The officers also learned that this man had been recognized as being a person whom the staff at the store had recognized as being a possible thief. The officers arrived at the store and detained the suspect as he exited the store. The officers searched this man and discovered that he was in possession of several items that he had taken from the store that he had not paid for. The suspect was also in possession of merchandise from PacSun and H&M stores that the officers suspected had also been stolen. This 28-year-old Moreno Valley resident was arrested and charged with shoplifting and receiving stolen property. Bail was set at $5,000.
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.
