Police Blotter: Burglary, Cruelty to Animal and Shoplifting

Burglary

At approximately 11 p.m. on Dec. 24, officers responded to the Circle Bar, 2926 Main Street, in response to a burglary in progress call. Employees of the location told police dispatch that they had caught the burglar and were detaining him. When officers arrived the employees told them that they attempted to enter their rear outdoor patio area, which was closed to the public, and noticed that there was someone pulling on the other end of the doorknob, keeping the door from opening. More employees were called and the door was opened. The person on the inside of the patio was seen climbing the wall out of the patio area and into a breezeway. In his hand was a shirt with four bottles of liquor in it that the bar estimated at $105. He was stopped as he was climbing the wall and detained. Employees found that he had punched a hole through the patio wall and into the adjacent liquor storage area. He was able to reach into the hole in the wall and unlock the door of the liquor storage area from within.

Shoplifting

At approximately 5 p.m. on Dec. 26, officers were dispatched to the Rite-Aid store at 1331 Wilshire Blvd. regarding a theft in progress. When the officers arrived they were informed by the store security that a woman had concealed items in her purse and was still inside the store. The woman exited the store without paying for the items while the officers were still inside. When she was stopped she denied having cosmetics from the store in her purse. She consented to a search of her purse where the officers found cosmetics taken from the store. Security personnel made a private person’s arrest of the suspect and the officers took her into custody. While searching her prior to putting her in their patrol car, they found more unpaid cosmetics in her pockets. When they pulled them out, the suspect became irate and spit in one of the officer’s face. When she was taken to jail and searched further, she was found to have 13 individual canisters of eye shadow concealed in her bra. Loss according to the store: $95.34

Animal Cruelty

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, officers responded to a radio call in the 2100 block of Ocean Front Walk regarding an intoxicated person dragging a puppy and trying to assault people. Officers found the subject and talked to witnesses. Witnesses told the officers that the subject had been riding his bicycle at a high rate of speed, dragging a nine-week-old puppy behind the bicycle that was attached to a leash. Witnesses also told the police that the puppy was squealing in what sounded like pain. The puppy was dragged approximately 50 meters by the subject as it could not keep up with the pace of the bicyclist.  Several people eventually caught up to the subject and surrounded the bicyclist and stopped him. The bicyclist challenged one of the witnesses to a fight when the witness questioned his ability to care for the puppy. Officers arrived at that point and found the subject to be intoxicated. They took custody of the dog and transported it to the Santa Monica Animal Shelter.

Bicycle Theft

At approximately 11 a.m. on Dec. 27, officers were conducting an anti-theft operation targeting bicycle theft in the 2000 block of Ocean Avenue in response to an increased incidence of bicycle thefts in that area. The officers put a bicycle out in plain view and watched to see if anyone would steal it. They watched as a subject walked around the bike several times, sat down next to it, and then got on the bicycle and rode it south. An officer attempted to stop the subject by standing in the path of the bike and telling the cyclist to stop. The subject ignored the officer and continued riding into the path of another officer who took the cyclist to the ground and arrested him.

Littering

At approximately 12 p.m. on Dec. 27, an officer responded to Café Zella, 1531 Wilshire Blvd., regarding a homeless person sitting at their outdoor table smoking. When the officer arrived, he noticed that she was holding an unlit cigarette in her hand and sitting about 10 feet from the entrance to the restaurant. She had personal belongings strewn around the area. When the officer asked her to pick up her items, the subject became belligerent and threw a cup and its contents into a nearby bush. The officer told the subject to pick up the items or she would be issued a citation for littering. The subject told the officer that she would not pick up the cup and told the officer to take her to jail. Because the subject did not have any valid identification on her, she was not eligible to receive a citation. She was arrested for the littering and taken to jail.