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.
Wednesday, March 17, at 7:46 p.m.,
Santa Monica police officers responded to the 2300 block of Ocean Park Boulevard — Lee’s Market — regarding a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When officers arrived, they made contact with an employee at the store who said a customer with a tab came in and picked up a beer and asked to add it to his tab. As the individual walked outside, he dropped the bottle on the ground and broke it. The suspect came into the store later in the day and grabbed a 40-ounce bottle of Olde English 800 and asked the cashier to put it on his tab. The cashier informed the man that he had reached his limit and had to pay up. The suspect became angry and allegedly went behind the counter and threatened to strike the cashier with the bottle. A witness came to the cashier’s aid. The suspect became angry and stole the witnesses’ hat before fleeing on foot. Officers were able to locate the suspect a short distance away and he was placed under arrest for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was identified as Ahmad Raza, 63, of Santa Monica. His bail was set at $50,000.
Saturday, March 20, at 11:58 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 500 block of Bay Street regarding a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When officers arrived, they made contact with the alleged victim who said he saw two men carrying two long, wooden skateboards through the courtyard of his apartment building. As he approached his apartment, the victim told officers that one of the suspects turned toward him and became verbally aggressive, using derogatory language while questioning the victim’s sexuality. The suspect charged the victim, pushing him to the ground and hitting him with a skateboard. The other suspect pulled his friend off the victim and the two fled on foot. Armed with a description, officers were able to locate the suspects a short distance away and placed the two under arrest. One suspect, Jonathan Cy, 29, of Santa Monica, was booked for assault with a deadly weapon, damaging the victim’s cell phone, violation of civil rights via threats and for being drunk in public. The second suspect, Nicholay Semendeieff, 28, of Santa Monica, was busted for public intoxication. Their bail was set at $30,000 and $250 respectively.
Sunday, March 21, at 8:22 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1400 block of the Third Street Promenade regarding a suspicious person identifying himself as an FBI agent. When officers arrived, they made contact with the individual and determined he was not affiliated with the FBI. Further investigation revealed that the suspect gave a false name to the officers. As officers tried to obtain the individual’s information, officers located a bottle of prescription drugs that did not belong to the suspect, police said. The suspect, Christopher Zewe, 21, a transient, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and providing false information to a police officer. His bail was set at $10,000.
Friday, March 19, at 2:25 p.m.,
Officers responded to the 1900 block of 17th Street regarding a report of domestic violence. When officers arrived, they made contact with the alleged victim who told them that her husband had pushed her to the ground. The suspect, Oliver Pacheco, 66, a transient, was arrested for battery on a spouse. His bail was set at $20,000.
Thursday, March 18, at 10:37 a.m.,
Officers responded to the 2600 block of 28th Street regarding a report of unknown trouble. When officers arrived, they made contact with the alleged victim who said the suspect had assaulted her, took her purse and fled the location. Officers located the suspect in Los Angeles and he was placed under arrest for robbery, burglary and domestic violence. He was identified as Oussama Mellouli, 26, of Los Angeles. His bail was set at $50,000.
Wednesday, March 17, at 1:30 a.m.,
Officers on routine patrol near the area of Third Street and Pier Avenue observed a driver commit several vehicle code violations. Officers conducted a traffic stop, believing that the driver may be under the influence of alcohol. Officers made contact with the driver and had her perform a series of balance and coordination tests. Upon completion, officers believed that the driver was drunk and placed her under arrest. She was identified as Tori Schmidt, 32, of Santa Monica. She was booked for DUI and a probation violation. Her bail was set at $5,000.
Monday, March 15, at 10:30 p.m.,
Officers were on routine patrol in the area of Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue when they were flagged down by the victim of vandalism. The victim said he was driving by his parked car when he saw a suspect kick the rear of the vehicle. The victim stopped and confronted the suspect, who fled on foot. As the victim was following the suspect, he flagged down officers. Officers apprehended the suspect and placed him under arrest for kicking the car and cracking the left rear turn signal. The suspect was identified as Kevin Barnes, 47, a transient. He was booked for vandalism. He also had warrants for his arrest, police said. His bail was set at $6,937.
<!-- No LPSH -->Editor-in-Chief Kevin Herrera compiled these reports.
