By Daily Press staff — John Wood
OCEAN PARK — A SWAT Team raided the apartment of a suspected coke dealer Thursday morning, taking the man into custody before a throng of curious and unsuspecting neighbors.
The arrest capped a three-week investigation into Lee Cox, 37, who lives in a beachside apartment at Ocean Avenue and Pacific Street. An unspecified amount of marijuana and cocaine were found on Cox and in his apartment, police said.
“They found out that this guy was supplying narcotics to the Brentwood area,” said Los Angeles Police Department Officer April Harding, a spokeswoman. The LAPD oversaw the investigation and made the arrest.
Seven police cruisers — three unmarked — were parked in front of Cox’s complex during the 9 a.m. raid.
Residents of the building appeared shaken by the police action. Officers donned helmets and bullet-resistant vests, and carried rifles. None of the residents interviewed knew their neighbor was being monitored by police.
Cox was standing out in front of the building when officers arrived. He hugged a female companion, who was crying. Police then approached Cox, handcuffed him and sat him in a patrol car. Officers brought a small back-pack out from the suspect’s apartment, placed it in his car — a white sedan — and drove the car away from the building. The woman declined to comment.
During and after the raid, senior citizens living in the Ocean House, a retirement home directly to the north, could be seen watching from their windows. Residents of Cox’s building who managed to get out of their apartments amid the raid watched from across the street.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 27, 2004. Read the original PDF.