On January 22, at 6:45 p.m.
Officers responded to the 800 block of Pacific Street for a tenant dispute. A tenant who was in the process of being evicted broke into the garage of the apartment building to retrieve property he believed was his. The suspect got involved with another on the property, threatened him with a knife and then started to break windows inside the residence. Officers stayed on the outside of the apartment and made contact with the suspect via one of the broken windows. As officers were talking with the suspect, he picked up a knife and walked towards the window the officers were talking to him through. Officers gave commands for the suspect to drop the knife to which he refused. The suspect turned away from the officers and hid the knife under the sheets of his bed. Officers were able to negotiate with the suspect to get him to come outside. He complied and was taken into custody without incident. The knife was recovered and was the same weapon used to threaten the other tenant. Jerome Diaz Romero, 57, from Santa Monica was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $30,000.
