On Feb. 14 at approximately 12:55 p.m., patrol officers responded to the Sears store at 302 Colorado Ave., regarding a theft that just occurred.
The suspect, carrying a backpack, entered the store and headed directly to the electronics section. He selected a boxed cellphone from a display shelf, walked behind the shelf out of view of the camera, and then reappeared a few seconds later with his hands empty.
A loss prevention officer followed the suspect as he exited the store and walked across Colorado Avenue and into Santa Monica Place. Santa Monica police officers met the Sears employee, who was still tailing the suspect in the area of 5th Street and Broadway, and detained the suspect for investigation.
The suspect, identified as Tyler Denzin, was asked if he had a cellphone. He told the officers, "It's in my backpack." He granted them permission to search the bag and inside they located the still-boxed phone taken from Sears. The Sears employee signed a private person's arrest form, requesting prosecution on behalf of the store.
Denzin, who is on probation, was arrested for shoplifting and a probation violation and transported to the Santa Monica Jail. Denzin, 19, homeless, had bail set at $10,000.
