SMPD removes disruption
By Daily Press staff
A man who said he had just been released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hijacked a meeting of the City Council Tuesday. The man said he suffered from manic-depressive psychosis and needed $21.95 to fill a prescription for lithium.
Members of the City Council, City Hall staffers and others in the council chambers froze in their seats as the man took control of the meeting from resident Ed Moosbrugger, who was standing at the podium to discuss a proposed $175 million bond.
“There’s no need for the police,” the distraught man said, facing the audience with his back to the dais. “I’m coming from (the) psychiatric hospital. I’m the one who’s afraid. I don’t want to go to jail. My name is Dr. Brenson. I’m going to tell you what I need. You need to be educated. Don’t laugh at me — I’m in trouble.”
After a few moments, a Santa Monica Police Department officer approached the man, put his hand on the man’s arm, and asked him to calm down. The man, whose identity is unknown, then pulled back from the officer.
“I didn’t do nothing wrong sir,” the man said, striking himself in the head and face twice. “I didn’t do nothing wrong — it’s code four.”
The man was escorted out of the building and released shortly thereafter. SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega, a spokesman, said the officer conducted a field interview before releasing him. It’s a misdemeanor to disrupt a public meeting, but no charges were pressed.
“It’s nothing,” Fabrega said. “Just because somebody hits himself, it’s not a crime. Just because somebody takes medication, it’s not a crime.”
Mayor Richard Bloom, who gave the council a break immediately after the incident, praised the officer’s quick work at the meeting. Police officers are often stationed at meetings of the City Council — especially when large crowds are expected.
“It was a tense few moments for all of us,” Bloom said afterward. “It was pretty clear we all needed to catch our breath, and it also would have been very unfair to Mr. Moosbrugger to put him on the spot after that happened.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 24, 2004. Read the original PDF.