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.
Wednesday, Feb. 26,
Santa Monica detectives responded to a hotel in Laguna Beach, Calif. after Los Angeles Police Department investigators detained a man for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend. The kidnapping charge was unfounded, however, the man was wanted for a domestic violence charge out of Santa Monica. Police said that incident took place on Jan. 8 at a home on the 900 block of 23rd Street. On that day the girlfriend said she and her boyfriend of five months were arguing about money. When she tried to leave, the boyfriend allegedly grabbed her and pushed her, causing her to hit her head on a wall. He then hit her in the face. At one point he held her to the ground and started choking her to the point that she lost consciousness. He allegedly pulled a knife and threatened to kill her. The next day they reconciled and they stayed at a hotel in Santa Monica for the next four days so that no one could see her bruises, police said. On Jan. 14 she filed a police report with the LAPD's Van Nuys Division. That led to the boyfriend's arrest for attempted murder. He was identified as Wesley Paul Titus, 45, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $1 million.
Saturday, March 1, at 12 a.m.,
An officer on patrol along the 1900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard spotted a car with a broken taillight being driven. The officer pulled the driver over for the violation. When he approached the car the officer said he noticed the driver had alcohol on his breath. He asked the driver to step out of the car and onto the curb. The driver complied. During the conversation with the driver, he gave the officer permission to search his car. The officer said he found a plastic bindle of cocaine in the car. The driver was not found to be driving under the influence of alcohol but he was arrested for the cocaine. He was identified as Yisroel Shumuel Susman, 30, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $10,000.
Saturday, March 1, at 8:20 p.m.,
An officer on patrol saw a man pulling recyclables from a City Hall-owned container on the 2000 block of the alley east of 17th Street, a violation of the Municipal Code. The officer approached the man and found out that he was on probation. The officer searched him and found that he was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and a pipe used to smoke the drug. The man was placed under arrest and identified as Beecher Dewayne Brumley, 51, of Santa Monica. No bail was set. He also had two bench warrants for his arrest, police said.
Sunday, March 2, at 12:30 p.m.,
Officers received a report of vandalism taking place to the rear of 2605 Lincoln Blvd. When the officer approached the area of the call he noticed the suspect spray painting the cement ground and also saw graffiti on other walls that matched the spray paint on the cement. A witness told the officer that he saw the suspect spray the walls. Police placed the man under arrest for vandalism. He was identified as Pedro Garcia, 34, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $500.
Thursday, Feb. 27, at 11:15 p.m.,
Officers responded to a local hospital regarding a man who allegedly had been stabbed by his girlfriend. He told police that he arrived home at about 7:30 p.m. that night, went to bed and then awoke suddenly to find his girlfriend sitting up in bed. She immediately punched him in the face, police said. When he asked her why she hit him, she told him that she did not remember doing such a thing. She then fell back asleep. The boyfriend woke her up so that he could question her further. He said she yelled at him and ran into the kitchen where she grabbed a knife and ran toward him. He put up his arms in defense and received a cut on his wrist. The girlfriend immediately apologize, police said. When he was released from the hospital, the boyfriend took police to his home and the girlfriend was placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence. She was identified as Alexandra Clain, 18, of Paris, France. Her bail was set at $50,000.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 3:50 p.m.,
Officers responded to a home on the 800 block of Cedar Street regarding a disturbance. When they arrived they could see through an open doorway that three people were fighting. One person had a claw hammer in his hand and another was bleeding from his head. An officer broke up the struggle and had the person with the hammer drop it. The man with the head wound, who was later sent to a hospital for treatment, told officers that he tried to get into the suspect's apartment and was struck in the head with the hammer. Naturally, he was angry so we tackled the suspect and punched him repeatedly. He was struck in the head two more times with the hammer during the fight. The suspect was placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and a probation violation. He was identified as Rocco Bill Ochinero, 65, a transient. His bail was set at $30,000.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.,
Officers on patrol watched as a driver made an illegal u-turn at the intersection of California and Ocean avenues. The officers pulled the driver over on Ocean Avenue and prepared to issue him a citation. The driver allegedly could not find his driver's license or registration so the officer had him exit the car. The passenger was also removed and submitted to a search. An officer found a crack pipe on him, police said. The driver had a no-bail warrant from Ventura. A search of the vehicle produced three syringes, meth, heroin and items used to cook and inject heroin. In the jail, cocaine and heroin were found on the passenger, police said. The suspects were identified as Daryl Thomas McGowan, 39, of Los Angeles; and Ronald Joseph Barber, 64, a transient. No bail was set.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
