Homeless men charged with armed robbery
Two homeless men beat another transient with a wooden stick while he was collecting bottles and cans late last month.
Santa Monica Police officers were called to the alleyway behind 16th Street on March 28 at about 1:30 p.m. where the victim told them he saw two men stealing recyclables out of his shopping cart while he was rummaging through a dumpster.
When he approached the pair to get his stuff back, they beat him with a large wooden stick and fled north down the alley with their shopping carts.
Police quickly located two individuals 10 blocks away in the same alleyway fitting the suspects’ description. Officers apprehended them.
When they brought the two white males back to the victim, they were positively identified. Officers booked the pair as Adam Llyod Harwell, 24, and James Richard Carmen, 44, for armed robbery. ■A woman was threatened with a gun while she was smoking a cigarette outside her home in the 200 block of Hollister Avenue.
A man approached her about 10 a.m. on March 27 and said he had a gun and demanded her money. But when the victim said she didn’t have anything on her, the suspect fled on foot.
However, the victim didn’t report the attempted robbery until 1:30 p.m. because she had errands she needed to run first.
Police are looking for a 5’ 10” black male in his 30’s weighing between 240-280 pounds. The suspect was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. ■Two men robbed a woman of her purse while she was walking near her home in the 1700 block of Appian Way.
The woman said she was approached by two suspects, the first of whom demanded her purse by saying, “I have a gun, give me your money.”
The victim handed over her purse containing credit cards, various forms of identification and a cell phone. The suspects ran to a waiting car, which was described as a dark gray, four-door 1990’s — possibly a Chevy Cavalier.
Police describe the first suspect as a black male, between the ages of 18-22, 5’- 8” tall. He was wearing a dark navy blue sweatshirt and dark pants. The second suspect is described by police as a Hispanic male, between 18-22 years old. He was wearing dark clothing as well.
And the suspect driving the car is described as a black female.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 10, 2002. Read the original PDF.