Putting a little whip on top
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.
ON SATURDAY, MARCH 31 AT 1:30 P.M. Officers on routine patrol in the 1800 block of Seventh Street were flagged down by a man who was bleeding from his face and screaming, pointing to another man who was walking a few feet ahead of him. Officers pulled over and spoke to the man who was bleeding. He told police that the guy walking in front of him had used a whip to beat him. Apparently, the alleged victim hired an escort off of the popular web site CraigsList.org. When the alleged prostitute arrived, the two got into an argument and she called for her bodyguard, who busted into the room and began whipping the would-be “John,” police said. The woman ran out of the apartment and the victim followed. That’s when officers spotted the blood man walking down the street. The bodyguard was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $30,000.
THURSDAY, MARCH 29 AT 4:20 A.M. Officers on routine patrol of Palisades Park saw a woman sleeping on a park bench in violation of the municipal code preventing people from sleeping in parks during the evening and early morning hours. Officers searched the woman and found a credit card in her possession that did not seem to belong to her. The name she gave to officers did not match that on the credit card, police said. She was cited for sleeping in the park. Her bail was set at $500. The credit card investigation is ongoing, police said. The suspect was identified as Charlene Weisbrod, 36, a transient.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31 AT 12:25 P.M., Officers responded to the 1400 block of Fourth Street — Parking Structure No. 5 — after being flagged down by a concerned citizen who saw suspicious men hanging out on one of the floors. Officers drove into the structure and spotted two suspects. The two suspects told officers they were waiting for friends, police said. Officers conducted a consensual search and discovered several burglary tools including a wrench, glass cutter and razor blades, which are often used to cut speaker wires, police said. The suspects were arrested for possession of burglary tools. One suspect was a juvenile at the time of his arrest and therefore police could not release his name. The second suspect was identified as Edwin Alexander Avilez, 20, from Los Angeles. His bail was set at $36,116.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31 AT 4:15 A.M. Police responded to the 600 block of 26th Street regarding a car alarm that had gone off. When officers arrived, they spoke with a resident who said they heard their neighbor’s car alarm going off. When he went outside to investigate, he saw a man running from the car. The witness told police that the suspect ran through houses to 25th Street. Using a canine, officers located the suspect in an alley. In his possession was a rubber coated flashlight, a pair of gloves and some baby wipes, which police said are often used to clean off fingerprints. The car appeared to be fine and the suspect was arrested for attempted burglary. He was identified as Bruce Edwin Myers, 38, of San Diego. His bail was set at $25,488.
SATURDAY MARCH 31 AT 2 A.M. Police responded to the 2400 block of Wilshire Boulevard regarding an assault in progress. When officers arrived they spoke with a parking valet who said the driver of a car he had parked became irate, claming the valet put scratches on his car. The driver and his friends began to threaten the valet, kicking his booth while trying to grab keys belonging to other cars, police said. During the exchange, the driver allegedly punched the valet in the face and then fled. He was arrested a short time later at 26th Street and Arizona Avenue. He was positively identified by the valet, who was working for Holly’s West and the Wilshire Restaurant. The suspect was arrested for assault and battery, and had three outstanding warrants, police said. He was identified as Malcom Christopher Strong, 34, of Pacific Palisades. His bail was set at $57,000.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.