On May 2 at about 8:20 p.m., aSanta Monica police officer entered Star Liquor at 1929 Main St. and saw the suspect, a homeless man, standing near the refrigerators inside the store and noticed he appeared to be drunk.
When the clerk saw the officer, he told him he'd asked the suspect to leave his bicycle outside the store a short time earlier, but the suspect refused. The officer then politely asked the suspect to take his bike outside. The suspect complied and took his bike outside.
A few minutes later, a witness entered the store and told the officer the suspect spat on his patrol car and was yelling at people outside. The officer then walked out of the store and spoke to the suspect on the sidewalk.
The officer advised the suspect that he needed to leave because he was drunk in public and harassing people, but the suspect refused and began cursing at the officer. Since the suspect would not comply, the officer placed him under arrest for public intoxication.
As the officer was putting the suspect into the back seat of his patrol car, the suspect resisted and spat on the officer's face. Additional officers responded and assisted in controlling the suspect. Edward George Morrison, 56, of Los Angeles, had bail set at $20,000.
