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.
Tuesday, April 16, at 1:47 a.m.,
Santa Monica Police officers responded to the 2100 block of Pico Boulevard regarding a report of an armed robbery that recently took place. When officers arrived they spoke with one of the alleged victims who pointed to two people and said they were two of the six who robbed them at knife point. Officers detained the two suspects and continued to interview the victims, who said that they were walking through Virginia Avenue Park when they were surrounded by six guys who pulled out knives and demanded money. One of the suspects took one victim's wallet and stole $100 and his identification. They then began walking the victims toward a liquor store on the belief that they would obtain more money. As the victims got close, they used a cell phone to call 911 while running away. One knife was recovered and the identifications were found discarded. No money was found. The suspects were booked for robbery. They were identified as Martin Salinas, 21, and Frank Slobotski, 19; both from Santa Monica. Police did not provide bail information. Four other suspects have not yet been identified and the investigation continues.
Saturday, April 20, at 4:30 a.m.,
Officers were on patrol along the 2200 block of Third Street when they saw a man riding a bike without a headlight, a requirement under the California Vehicle Code. The man was stopped for the violation and allegedly told officers that he did not have any identification on him. He consented to a search and officers found a pair of bolt cutters inside a backpack. He also had a no-bail warrant for his arrest for sales and transportation of marijuana, police said. He was placed under arrest for the warrant and possession of burglary tools. He was identified as Jason Mosca, 35, of Los Angeles. No bail was set.
