On Jan. 20, at approximately 8:15 a.m.
An officer responded to the 2600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in response to a radio call of a grand theft auto that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with an employee of the auto body shop and he stated that he observed a male in a hoodie sitting in the driver's seat of a Porsche that was parked in the rear alley of the business. According to the employee, he left the vehicle unlocked with the keys on the floorboard as it had been dropped off by another body shop for routine maintenance. He did not think much of the male, as he thought it was possibly another employee of the body shop that brought the car. When the owner of the body shop was contacted, he did state that he did not have an employee that matched the suspect's description. A witness provided the officer a description of the suspect.
A little over an hour later, Santa Monica College Officers found the car parked near 22nd and Delaware. As the officer was speaking with the witness, he noticed a male, later identified as Ahmad Tobin, 34, of Santa Monica that matched the suspect description walking down the street. Tobin refused to come over the first time the officer called him and entered the rear of a residence, which was later determined to be his mother's home. As the officer approached the rear entrance, Tobin approached him and he was detained. While at the scene, the officer found a Porsche key yards away from where Tobin had been. Tobin was arrested for grand theft auto and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $25,000.
Crime Watch is 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.
