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.
On September 10 at approximately 2:30 a.m.
Officers arrived at the 1600 block of Ocean Avenue (Tongva Park) for a robbery that had just occurred. The reporting party stated that two suspects approached him and stole his backpack and threatened him. Officers located the two suspects within the park. Tobias Simpson, 37 years old from Los Angeles, along with Richard Newels, 39 years old from Palmdale, were arrested for robbery, criminal threats and probation violations, and transported to the Santa Monica Jail for booking. Items belonging to the victim were found in the possession of the suspects along with drug paraphernalia. Both Simpson and Newels remain in custody with a September 28th court date.
