On June 3 at approximately 5:20 a.m., a Santa Monica police officer was patrolling the 3100 block of Main Street when he identified and followed a black Jeep Compass traveling southbound.
The vehicle had been fraudulently rented using the credit card and driver's license of an unsuspecting victim of identity theft. The car had been reported stolen on June 2 by the Inglewood Police Department.
The driver abruptly made a left turn and pulled into a parking space in the 200 block of Main Street in Venice. The driver immediately attempted to walk away from the car, but was ordered to remain in the car. Both the driver and the passenger were taken into custody pending further investigation.
During the search of the vehicle, officers recovered several forged personal and financial documents whose originals had been taken in a residential burglary as well as other items and narcotics.
Both suspects were transported to the Santa Monica jail and booked on charges of grand theft auto, identity theft and receiving stolen property. Eduardo Enrique Molina, 26, of Venice, and Morgan Deziray Nazir, 22, of Los Angeles, were held without bail.
Note: Crime Watch is 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.
