By Tim Broughton
Free Market Economy?
On Wednesday, July 12, at 11:54 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department received a radio call from the Gelson’s Market, located at 2627 Lincoln Blvd., requesting that they attend the supermarket forthwith due to a theft suspect being detained at the location by the loss prevention agents employed by the store. The officers went to the location and when they arrived they spoke with the aforementioned loss prevention agents. The officers were told that the loss prevention agents had witnessed the suspect enter the store and that he had alerted them due to his demeanor. Then loss preventions agents said that they watched this individual walk around the store and as he was doing so he picked up several items of groceries from the shelves and placed them into his backpack. The loss prevention agents told the officers that this man then left the store without making any attempt to pay for the items, and that they had stopped the man outside the store and escorted him back inside while they summoned the police. The store was desirous of a prosecution so the officers arrested this 46-year-old homeless man and he was later charged with shoplifting and appropriation of lost property. Bail was set at $5,000.
High Speed Nap.
On Wednesday, July 13, at 2:36 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were on patrol in the area of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Boulevard when they chanced upon a man who was sleeping on a public bench. The officers noticed that this man had numerous personal items strewn around the bench and the sidewalk. The officers awakened this man from his slumber and asked some questions. During the course of the conversation the officers determined that this man was on probation for selling narcotics and hat he also had an outstanding warrant for possession of narcotics. The officers took this man into custody and searched him whereupon they discovered that he was in possession of a syringe containing methamphetamine as well a pipe of the kind used to smoke crack cocaine. This 50-year-old Huntington Park resident was charged with camping in public, possession of methamphetamine, identity theft, and possession of narcotics in addition to the outstanding bench warrant. Bail was set at $55,000.
Couple Were Enlightened.
On Thursday, July 13, at 4:10 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a radio call from dispatch advising them that a man and a woman were inside a vehicle at the intersection of 18th Street and Delaware Avenue and that they were possibly using narcotics. The officers drove to the location and as they arrived they spotted the vehicle in question heading northbound on 18th Street. The officers ran the plates of the vehicle and discovered that it had been reported as being stolen. The officers immediately “it up” and in initiated a traffic stop. The officers then detained both of the occupants while they investigated. During the course of the investigation the officers discovered that the male driver was in possession of numerous credit cards belonging to a third party. The officers spoke with the female occupant of the vehicle and she was uncooperative and evasive with the officers and gave the officers a false name. The officers utilized their police training and technology and discovered the true identity of this woman, and also that she had two outstanding warrants for her arrest. The officers arrested both suspects, a male resident of Santa Monica, aged 42 (charged with taking a vehicle without consent and appropriation of lost property with bail set at $25,000) and a woman, aged 27 and from Sylmar (charged with giving false information to a police officer and outstanding warrants with bail set at $80,000).
Brass Body Parts.
On Friday, July 14, at 1:21 a.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were on routine patrol in the area of the 700 block of Olympic Boulevard when they spotted a man riding his bicycle without the benefit of required illumination. The officers stopped this man for these violations and the man looked at the officers and announced that he was in possession of a set of brass knuckles (brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knuckledusters, or a classic, are weapons used in hand to hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal shaped to fit around the knuckles). The officers searched this man and discovered that he did indeed possess the aforementioned illegal item. The officers also discovered that this man was also in possession of an identification card that had a fraudulent date of birth indicated on it. The officers arrested this 18-year-old resident of Venice and he was charged with riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, possessing a false identification card, and possession of metal knuckles. Bail was set at $20,000.
