On September 15 at about 3:30 p.m. officers responded to the Apple store at 1415 3rd Street Promenade for a possible fraudulent purchase.
Officers contacted the store’s loss prevention officer who said a man entered the store and purchased three iPhones using another’s identity. The man walked out of the store where he was detained by store loss prevention and escorted back inside. The employee also told officers he recognized the man from an internal store bulletin where the man tried to do the same thing at another local Apple store.
Officers were able to contact the fraud victim who told them she did not know the man and never gave him permission to use her identity. Officers placed the man under arrest for the theft.
Joseph Diaz, 25, from Reseda, was arrested for grand theft. Bail was set at $20,000.
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.
