Crime Watch: Fighting City Hall with wire cutters
Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Friday, Aug. 3, at 1:10 p.m.,
Santa Monica police officers on patrol near City Hall were flagged down by a city employee who said they saw a woman walk over to some wires leading up to the City Council Chambers and cut them. Officers said that two wires for the cable television hook-up were cut at two different spots. The suspect was detained and a pair of wire cutters were allegedly found in her purse. The suspect was arrested for vandalism. She was identified as Janice Mayhan, 62, of Los Angeles. Her bail was set at $500.
Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2:46 p.m.,
Officers assigned to the Third Street Promenade bicycle unit responded to the Apple Store located at 1248 Third St. regarding a report of a woman trying to buy something with a phony credit card. When officers arrived, they made contact with store security who told them that the suspect entered the store and asked for the best iPad available. She then gave a clerk a Visa card for payment. The card was declined. The suspect then provided another Visa card and that too was not accepted. A check on the cards with the issuing bank revealed that the cards were fraudulent and employees called police after detaining the suspect inside the store. She was placed under arrest and booked for burglary, possession of forged access cards, theft, two warrants and a violation of probation. She was identified as Kristianna Maddox, 20, of Los Angeles. Her bail was set at $21,122.
Saturday, Aug. 4, at 3:42 p.m.,
Officers responded to a radio call regarding an armed robbery at the Rite-Aid at 1808 Wilshire Blvd. When officers arrived, they made contact with a security guard at the store who said he saw the suspect take several items from the shelves and try to conceal them inside a bag and jacket. When the guard confronted the suspect, he allegedly pulled out a hypodermic needle and tried to stab the guard with it. The guard dodged the strike and the suspect fled. The guard followed him for several blocks and called police. The suspect eventually stopped at a carwash and tried to hide in a bathroom. Police were able to locate the suspect and he was placed under arrest. Police recovered roughly $390 in merchandise, as well as the needle used in the alleged assault. The suspect was booked for robbery and two outstanding warrants. He was identified as Chad Plump, 30, a transient.
Friday, Aug. 3, at 9:13 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1200 block of the promenade — Sephora — regarding a suspicious person. When officers arrived, they made contact with security at the fragrance boutique who said that the suspect, who was standing by the cashier’s table, was trying to purchase a $400 gift card using a fraudulent MasterCard. When the card failed to go through, employees called the bank but could not get through to anyone. While inspecting the card, the employees said they noticed several inconsistencies, leading them to believe it was a fake. Officers made contact with the suspect, at which time they learned he had warrants for his arrest for burglary. The suspect was placed under arrest and searched. Officers said they found two more bogus cards in his possession. Officers also learned that the suspect allegedly bought something at Quicksilver with one of the cards. The suspect was eventually booked for burglary, possession of forged credit cards, violation of probation and the burglary warrants. He was identified as Justin Muir, 26, of El Monte, Calif. No bail was set.
Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 8:13 p.m.,
Officers responded to the Santa Monica Pier regarding a report of an assault in progress near the pier stairs. When officers arrived, they saw three men who were believed to be involved in the altercation. Officers went to detain them, at which time one of the suspects jumped on a bike and rode off, ignoring the officers’ commands to stop. The other two suspects allegedly refused to comply as well and they were taken to the ground and handcuffed. The third suspect, seeing that his friends were being arrested, circled back and surrendered to officers. Two women told the officers that they were taking pictures of the pier with their cell phones when the suspects approached them and grabbed one of their phones. When they tried to get it back, one of the suspects allegedly punched one of the women in the head and face until she fell to the ground. Both victims started walking toward the sub-station on the pier to notify police. The suspects followed and allegedly taunted the victims, calling them “rats.” One of the women started filming the suspects with her phone, at which time she was allegedly attacked. Both suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. The suspects were placed under arrest for various charges, including robbery and participating in a criminal street gang. The suspects included one 17-year-old resident of Los Angeles. He was taken to juvenile detention. The other suspects were identified as Carlos Lara, 18, and Alberto Montano, 19; both of Los Angeles. Bail for the two was set at $90,000.
Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera contributed to this report.
Comments are closed