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.
Friday, Oct. 25, at 11:30 p.m.,
Santa Monica Police officers conducted a check of a building located at 1914 Cloverfield Blvd. While looking around they saw a man in a laundry room with a belt wrapped around his biceps and a syringe sticking out of his forearm. When he saw officers he immediately grabbed the syringe and tossed it, police said. The officers asked the man what he was injecting and he said it was heroin. Officers later found the syringe with what appeared to be heroin in it. The suspect was placed under arrest for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. A test later confirmed that the substance in the syringe was heroin weighing in at .52 grams. The suspect was identified as Mantas Sileikis, 30, from Santa Monica. No bail was set because of a probation violation.
Monday, Oct. 28, at 4:30 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 400 block of Alta Avenue regarding a report of a suspicious person in the area. When they arrived they spoke with a man who said he had parked his car along the 600 block of Alta and fell asleep in the back seat. He was awakened by the sound of the driver's side door being opened. He yelled at the person that opened the door, who replied "My bad," and walked westbound. The car owner said he watched as the suspect went to other cars and tried to open the doors. He started his car, called 911 and followed the suspect. Officers detained the suspect and checked the area for other vehicles that may have been burglarized and found three. Officers then checked the surrounding area for items that may have been stolen and found a laptop near a trash can. Officers took the laptop and held it as evidence. They then looked in the trash can and said they found someone hiding inside. The first suspect alluded that he wasn't working alone. Based on that statement, and the laptop being located next to the person in the trash can, officers placed that suspect under arrest for receiving stolen property. He was identified as Roque Marcelo Licea, 31, a transient. His bail was set at $20,000. The other suspect, Rodolfo Gonzalez, 25, from Los Angeles, was booked for vehicle tampering and burglary. His bail was set at $50,000.
Monday, Oct. 28, at 1:12 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 7-11 located at 1865 Lincoln Blvd. regarding a robbery in progress. When officers arrived the suspects were still at the scene and they were detained while other officers talked to a store clerk. He told officers that he recognized the suspects from previous burglaries so he kept a close eye on them. He said one of the suspects stuffed a cup cake snack into his pocket while the other tried to block the clerk's view. The clerk approached them and told the one with the cup cake to give it back or pay for it. The suspect denied having it. The clerk reached for it and the suspect allegedly punched him in the face while the other verbally threatened him. Both suspects then left, but not before the clerk was able to grab the cup cake. The officers placed both suspects under arrest for attempted robbery and conspiracy. They were identified as Timothy Lecoeur, 24, and Lusean Arline, 42; both are homeless. Bail was set at $50,000.
Sunday, Oct. 27, at 8:13 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1000 block of Fifth Street regarding an assault with a deadly weapon that just occurred. When officers arrived they found that the fight started between two neighbors after the alleged victim's lights went out inside his apartment. He said that he left his apartment and went to find the breaker box outside. As he was examining the box he saw his neighbor standing behind him with a baseball bat. The neighbor allegedly swung the bat at the victim, who was able to turn and put his hands up just in time to be struck in the arms with the bat. He then grabbed said bat and ran into his apartment and called police. Officers were able to find physical evidence that the suspect left at the scene which tied him to the assault. He was detained and placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect was identified as Isaac Samuel Gabriel, 82, from Santa Monica. His bail was set at $30,000.
Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11:35 a.m.,
An officer on patrol watched as a driver committed a traffic infraction. As the officer followed the vehicle, the officer felt as though the driver was trying to avoid the patrol car. The driver eventually pulled over along the 1700 block of Marine Street. The officer parked about three car lengths behind and watched for roughly 50 seconds and saw no movement inside the car. The officer approached the car and asked the driver to roll down his window. He did and a large cloud of what the officer thought was marijuana smoke billowed out. Officers searched the car and the four occupants and arrested one for possession of a pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamines and possession of .17 grams of meth. The suspect was identified as James Andrew Bellew, 22, of Flagstaff, Ariz. His bail was set at $10,000.
editor@www.smdp.com
Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
