Police Blotter: Copper Theft, Vandalism and Assault

Petty Theft

At approximately 7:24 p.m. on Dec. 22, officers responded to the Sephora store located at 1244 Third Street regarding a theft. The suspect had left the scene; however, officers were able to locate the suspect in the 1300 block of Alley No. 4 (alley east of Fourth Street) after being directed there by the store security agent. While officers detained the suspect, the security agent from the store asked the suspect if she had any of the store’s merchandise on her that she did not pay for. The suspect proceeded to hand over what Sephora estimated to be $235 in merchandise to the security agent.

The security agent told the officers that the suspect was seen inside of the store taking several items from the shelf and concealing them in a tote bag. The suspect left the store without paying for the items. When the security agent contacted the suspect and grabbed a hold of the tote bag, the suspect pulled the tote bag away from the security agent and fled. The suspect was found to be on probation for petty theft.

Burglary & Drug Possession

At approximately 6 p.m. officers on Dec. 19, officers responded to the 1500 block of Broadway Avenue after witnesses reported to the police that they saw a suspicious person exiting a garage and concealing an unknown item in his jacket.  Responding officers found a suspect matching the description of the suspicious person in the 1500 block of alley No. 6, riding a bicycle.  He was also riding it without a light during the nighttime.  Officers stopped him and asked him if he would consent to a search of him to which he complied.  The officer’s search revealed items that could be used in a burglary. They also found a woman’s necklace on him.  It also revealed that he was in possession of cocaine.

While officers were searching the subject, another officer brought the witness over to where the subject was stopped. The witness positively identified the person as the one that came out of the garage earlier.  Based on the totality of the circumstances, including the fact that the suspect had no business in the garage, he was arrested for probable cause burglary.  In the jail, he was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine and heroin.

Vandalism

At approx. 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 17, a Pier and Harbor Services Officer (PHSO) noticed that the Santa Monica Police boat, Monica 1, was moored improperly adjacent to the Pier. The improper mooring had caused the Monica 1’s bow to strike a portion of the Pier.  All personnel using the boat know how to properly moor it so an investigation was started to find out if someone else had caused this damage.  The PHSO viewed Pier security video and found that there was a video of the subject walking down a catwalk, in violation of “no trespassing” signs,  to the boat and pulling the boat closer to the Pier, causing it to strike the Pier.  The suspect then walked back up the catwalk.  The PHSO was able to identify the suspect, by name, through the video.  This identity was given to other officers.  Later in the day, Downtown Service Officers spotted the subject near Barnard Way and Neilson Way.  They contacted officers who arrested the suspect.  The suspect admitted to the vandalism.  Damage to the boat was estimated to be more than $500.

Assault

At 6:12 p.m. on Dec. 20, officers responded to the 2700 block of Main Street regarding a man involved in a physical altercation with a Traffic Services Officer (TSO). The TSO was in the process of issuing a parking citation for a vehicle when the owner of the vehicle showed up and tried to get the TSO’s attention. The TSO, not wanting to get into a verbal altercation with the car owner, ignored the person.

The owner of the vehicle grabbed the TSO’s wrist, then grabbed the digital citation device, and said, “Excuse me.” The TSO told the person to let go of the device twice, but the car owner did not. A physical altercation occurred at that time and the TSO was able to radio for police assistance.  The police arrived and arrested the owner of the car for assault.

Copper Theft

On Dec. 18, a security guard for an apartment complex construction site saw two suspects in the construction site near an electrical control panel door holding bolt cutters. The door had a pad lock on it and it appeared they were going to cut the lock. When the security officer confronted the two, they left, walking up the stairs of the construction site to the ground level. The security officer followed them and when he reached the ground level he saw four other suspects leaving various apartments within the complex. The security guard noticed that they had three trash cans on dollies filled with copper pipe. 

The suspects fled with the copper and the security guard followed, taking photos of them as they fled.  The subjects fled to the alley and loaded the copper wire into the two vehicles. The security guard was able to snap pictures of the suspects as well as one of the vehicle’s license plates as they loaded the copper pipe. The security guard made a police report regarding the incident and provided the police with the photos he had taken.

The license plate was entered into the statewide law enforcement database.  On Dec. 21, an LAPD officer found the vehicle using the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) attached to his vehicle. This device is attached to a patrol vehicle and scans license plates looking for stolen vehicles or vehicles such as this one that have been used in the commission of a crime.  The software automatically notifies the officer if there is a match.  The driver was arrested and held at the Olympic Station.  SMPD officers arrived and towed the vehicle. They found evidence in the vehicle linking the driver to the theft.  When they took custody of the driver of the vehicle, they also noticed that he matched the description of one of the suspects in the copper wire theft.