On October 9 at approximately 1:50 p.m., officers responded to a call to the 2100 block of Pearl Street and met with officers from Santa Monica College in response to a person they had detained for stealing a bike. According to the call, the subject, later identified as Dionte Thompson, 37 of Los Angeles, had stolen a Bikeshare bicycle that was property of the City of Santa Monica. According to the witness, she saw Thompson vigorously shaking a parking sign in an attempt to steel a green bicycle locked up to the pole. The witness went on to state that she saw him dislodge the bike and start dragging the bike across Pearl Street. Thompson was seen trying to pull something off of the bike to no avail, so he left the bike on the 2200 block of Pearl Street.
While the witness called 911 and was on the phone with dispatch, she flagged down a SMC officer driving down the road. Thompson was taken to the SMC police station and was later picked up and transported by Santa Monica Police officers to the station. While en route to the station, Thompson went on to tell officers that he was God and everything was his. Thompson was arrested for grand theft and probation violation. Bail was set at $20,000.
