By By Daily Press Staff
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, APRIL 21, AT 1:50 P.M., Police responded to the west end of the pier after receiving a report about animal cruelty. When officers arrived they spoke with several witnesses who all said they saw a man take off his belt and smack a pigeon with the belt buckle, killing it. The man then picked up the pigeon and threw it into the water. Police said witnesses were appalled and called officers to investigate. Officers arrested the suspect, who allegedly told them that he killed the pigeon out of self defense, not because the pigeon was attacking him, but because he had been attacked before. The suspect was arrested for felony animal cruelty. He was identified as Willy Terry Aquino, 26, of Compton. No bail was set because the suspect was on parole, police said.
MONDAY, APRIL 21, AT 2:225 P.M., Officers responded to the 600 block of Pacific Coast Highway regarding a report of a man trying to break into a residence. When officers arrived, they spoke with neighbors who said the suspect was ringing the doorbell over and over while also trying to gain access by fiddling with a keypad on the door. Witnesses said they recognized the suspect as someone who was arrested in the past for stalking. Officers detained the suspect about a block away from the residence. He was booked for felony stalking. The suspect was identified as Sven Daniel Kennedy, 30, from Martinez, Calif. His bail was set at $150,000.
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, AT 3 P.M., Officers responded to the 1700 block of Michigan Avenue regarding a burglary in progress. When officers arrived, several witnesses directed them to a vehicle where officers found a suspect trying to hide. Officers searched the car, which turned out to be the suspect’s, and found several items that did not belong to him. The items included credit cards, various forms of identification, clothing and other personal items, police said. Officers searched the area and found two cars that were burglarized. Police said the suspect shattered windows to gain access to the vehicles. The suspect was placed under arrest for auto burglary. Police also found a small amount of cocaine on the suspect, who was identified as Fernando Perez Ramirez, 31, from Los Angeles. No bail was set because the suspect was on probation, police said.
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, AT 12:40 P.M., Officers responded to the 2200 block of Fifth Street after receiving a report about a prowler. When officers arrived they made contact with residents in an apartment complex who said they saw a suspicious man walking around the building and in the garage, peering through windows. When one of the residents confronted the man and asked him why he was there, the suspect said he was a city employee there to trim the bushes. The resident felt this was suspicious given that the man had no tools so they went back to their apartment and called police. The suspect left but was apprehended a short time later while riding a bicycle a few blocks away from the apartment. Officers questioned the suspect about the bicycle. The suspect did not know the combination to a lock on the bicycle nor could he explain where he got it. The suspect was arrested for burglary because of the bicycle and for loitering, a violation of his parole. The suspect was identified as Anthony Ray Hamilton, 56, of Hollywood. No bail was set.
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, AT 2:45 P.M., Officers at a city-owned fueling station at Fifth Street and Olympic Boulevard were flagged down by a woman who said she was just sexually assaulted by a man who ran off after the incident. The woman said she was walking down Olympic Boulevard when the man grabbed her butt. She was able to point out the suspect to police, who arrested him for sexual battery. The suspect was identified as Louis Pina, 38, a transient. His bail was set at $20,000. Pina also had a warrant for his arrest, police said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 2, 2008. Read the original PDF.