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.
Sunday, July 10, at 12:45 a.m.,
Santa Monica police officers responded to the 1200 block of the Third Street Promenade — Cabo Cantina — regarding a report of a strong-arm robbery that just occurred. As officers were en route, three people matching the descriptions given to police of the suspects were seen leaving the restaurant. Officers detained the three while the victim, a patron at the restaurant, was interviewed. The victim told officers that he was sitting at the bar when he was approached by four men who began harassing him and threatening him. A few minutes later, two of the suspects approached him again and one of them allegedly snatched his cell phone and said, “I’m robbing you. What are you going to do about it?” Security stepped in and recovered the victim’s phone while police were called. The victim positively identified one of the suspects. He was taken into custody and booked for robbery and a parole violation. He was identified as Cruz Garcia, 21, of Los Angeles. No bail was set. A second man was still being sought in connection with the robbery. He was described as a male Hispanic, 25 to 30 years of age, 5 feet 6 inches, around 230 pounds with short brown hair, a light complexion and a mustache, wearing a navy jacket, blue jeans and a baseball hat with “W” on the front.
Sunday, July 10, at 7:58 p.m.,
Officers responded to a report of a disturbance at the corner of Third Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. When officers arrived, they found a man holding a woman down on the ground. Both were detained, at which time the man told officers that he was taking pictures of the intersection when the woman ran up to him and punched him in the face. The man said the woman was yelling at him, accusing him of taking her picture and was threatening to kill him. The 65-year-old man held the woman down and asked bystanders to call police. The victim wanted to press charges so police arrested the woman for elder abuse, battery, assault and a parole violation (assault). She was identified as Cynthia Cantrell, 46, a transient. No bail was set.
Thursday, July 7, at 3 a.m.,
Officers responded to the area of 10th Street and Wilshire Boulevard regarding a report of a man bleeding from the face. When officers arrived, they made contact with the victim who said that he was in a fight when someone struck him in the head with a glass bottle. He refused to identify his attacker or say where the fight took place, police said. One of the officers remembered the victim, a transient, from a prior incident and drove to a rear parking lot located In the 1200 block of Wilshire Boulevard where homeless people were known to congregate. When they arrived, police said they found a homeless camp that was littered with blood and broken glass. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment while officers processed the scene. During that time, a man walked up to the police and admitted that he was involved in the fight. Officers placed him under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and an outstanding warrant. He was identified as Sanjay Patel, 48, a transient. His bail was set at $30,250.
Thursday, July 7, at 1:54 a.m.,
Officers on routine patrol near the corner of Fourth Street and Wilshire Boulevard saw three suspicious people pushing bicycles and carrying a lot of luggage while preparing to board an MTA bus. Officers stopped the bus in the 1200 block of Wilshire and detained the suspects. During their investigation, officers found the suspects to be in possession of burglary tools. None of the three could say how they got the bikes or tell officers where they were prior to boarding the bus. All three were booked for receiving stolen property, among other charges. They were identified as Kelly Neil Collins, 40, of South Gate; Rachel Erez, 25, a transient; and Michael Elias, 40, of Burbank. Bail was set at $20,000 for each.
Wednesday, July 6, at 3 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1200 block of the Third Street Promenade regarding a man fighting with two community service officers. When officers arrived, they detained the suspect and determined that he was smoking on the promenade, a violation of the municipal code, when the community service officers went to advise him about the law. The suspect yelled at the officers, telling them that what he was smoking was “sage.” The suspect then allegedly tossed the cigarette at one of the officers, hitting them in the leg. The suspect was placed under arrest for assault. He was identified as Jacob Holt, 22, a transient. His bail was set at $20,000.
Wednesday, July 6, at 12:40 a.m.,
Officers on routine patrol saw a vehicle heading southbound on Main Street without its headlights on. Officers followed and said the driver was swerving. Officers said as they approached Main Street and Pier Avenue, they saw the driver fail to yield to a pedestrian in the intersection. Officers conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver. While interviewing them, officers said they could smell alcohol. The driver performed sobriety tests. Officers determined the driver was under the influence and placed him under arrest for DUI. The driver was identified as John Macquize Smith, Jr., 33, of Los Angeles. His bail was set at $15,000.
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Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
