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 21, at 9:30 a.m.,
Santa Monica police officers responded to Bay Street regarding a report of a fight in progress. When officers arrived they detained the suspect and made contact with two tourists from Europe who said they saw the suspect tampering with their locked bikes. Fearing he wanted to steal the bikes, the tourists both ran to the bike rack and confronted him. They told officers the suspect had bolt cutters in his hand and had already cut one of the bike locks. He tried to flee, but they were able to hold him down until police arrived. Officers, based on witnesses' statements, placed the suspect under arrest for grand theft, possession of burglary tools and a probation violation. He was identified as David Vargas Anaya, 44, of Los Angeles. No bail was set.
Sunday, July 28, at 3:10 a.m.,
Officers responded to the intersection of Ocean and Washington avenues regarding a report of a man sleeping at the wheel of a car that was parked along the curb with the engine running. When officers arrived they approached the driver and found him slumped over the center console with the music blaring. As officers tapped on the window to get his attention, he awoke and began dancing in his seat, police said. Officers ordered him to unlock his door and the driver instead put the vehicle in reverse and began backing up, nearly striking a cop car. He then tried going forward before finally stopping and placing the vehicle in park. He unlocked the door and officers conducted a field sobriety test. They determined the driver was under the influence of alcohol and placed him under arrest for driving drunk. He was identified as Joshua Isaac Cole, 29, of Los Angeles. Bail was set at $5,000.
Saturday, July 27, at 6:37 p.m.,
Officers responded to Bloomingdale's regarding a report of a suspected shoplifter in custody. When officers arrived they made contact with store security who said the female suspect was trying to purchase a pair of Gucci sunglasses using three bogus gift cards. When they contacted her, she told security that she received the cards from her sister. Police received permission to search her and said they found 14 additional fraudulent gift cards and a Gucci purse purchased from another store with said cards. The total recovered loss was estimated at $2,900, police said. The suspect was placed under arrest and booked for burglary, use of fraudulent gift cards, possession of counterfeit cards and using forged account information. She was identified as Stephanie Sano, 27, of Baldwin Park, Calif. Her bail was set at $20,000.
Saturday, July 27, at 5:43 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 2400 block of Wilshire Boulevard regarding a report of a white man with black jeans and no shirt laying on the ground. When officers arrived they saw a man matching that description standing on the grass near the southwest corner of Douglas Park. The man had his belongings scattered all over the ground. A shopping cart filled with more belongings was also located nearby. Officers asked the man if the shopping cart belonged to him and he allegedly said "yes." He was then asked if he knew it was illegal to have a shopping cart and he said he did. With that admission, officers placed the man under arrest for theft of a shopping cart. He was identified as Douglas Splitt, 46, a transient. His bail was set at $500.
Thursday, July 25, at 11:04 p.m.,
Officers were on patrol along the 200 block of Pico Boulevard when they saw a silver Plymouth Voyager in the area and ran its license plate. They learned that the vehicle was reported stolen out of Oregon. Officers stopped the driver, who later admitted to knowing the car was stolen. A female passenger and her child were not involved in the theft, police said. The driver was placed under arrest for grand theft auto. He was identified as Zachary Clark, 24, a transient. His bail was set at $35,000.
Thursday, July 25, at 4:30 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1400 block of the Third Street Promenade — the Apple Store — regarding a report of a customer trying to buy an iPhone by using an account that was not his. When officers arrived they were told by employees that the alleged victim had been notified and confirmed their account had been compromised. The suspect was detained and later arrested after it was determined that the account he was trying to use to activate three iPhones was being used fraudulently. The suspect was booked for obtaining credit using another's identification and under false pretenses. He was identified as Matthew Cole, 23, of Los Angeles. His bail was set at $5,000.
Wednesday, July 24, at 4:45 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 400 block of Wilshire Boulevard regarding a report of a man who was calling from a pay phone to report that he had been the victim of an assault. He told dispatchers that his alleged attacker was a black man wearing a yellow sweatshirt. When officers arrived they could not find the man who called, but did find another matching the suspect's description. The man was detained while officers combed the area for the alleged victim. They never found him, however, the man detained had $35,000 in warrants. He was placed under arrest and during a search police found a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine. The suspect was booked for the warrants and the pipe. He was identified as Edwin Anderson, 48, a transient. His bail was set at $36,250.
editor@www.smdp.com
Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
