Local briefs

Suicide Threat Blocks Second Street

3.30: Santa Monica Police and Fire Department Paramedics were operating on 2nd Street Wednesday afternoon, as an unidentified individual threatened to jump off of Parking Structure 5. They were seen deploying jump cushions in front of, and in alleyway behind the structure.

Five black and white units blocked off the entry to the Fairmont Hotel at Ocean and Wilshire Blvd.

"Santa Monica Police & Fire Dept Activity" SMPD tweeted at 6 pm. "2nd Street is Closed between Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd until further notice. Use alternative routes. The Crisis Negotiations Team is on scene and attempting contact with a distraught individual." At 10 pm, they tweeted that the street blockades had been removed. "The individual has been transported to a local hospital for evaluation."

In recent years, Santa Monica's taller parking structures have attracted a rather high number of suicidal people. Some, though not all, are people experiencing homelessness.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 1-800-273-8255. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress

Woman Walks In On Burglar

3.29.22: Thanks to a sharp-eyed neighbor, Santa Monica Police officers were able to apprehend a man who'd broken into a home and confronted the returning homeowner with a stick in his hand.

On Thursday, March 24 around 6:20 pm, a woman came to her home in the 1800 block of Warwick Avenue to find an unknown male individual standing in her living room, holding a stick. She called SMPD, who came and searched her house, finding it had been ransacked. They also found the window by which the suspect had managed entry. The suspect, however, had fled.

A neighbor, seeing the police, came to tell them he had seen a man matching the description given by the victim jumping off the roof of the residence. He pointed the police toward the suspect's last known direction of travel, police said in a press release.

Patrol officers ended up detaining a man matching the suspect's description at 34th Street and Exposition Boulevard. Both the victim and the neighbor witness identified Raymond Harry Purnell as the suspect they had seen in and then fleeing the home. Various cards belonging to the victim were found on Purnell's person.

Purnell, a 36-year-old homeless man was transported to Santa Monica Police Jail. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has filed one count of 459 PC – _Burglary against Mr. Purnell.

Anyone with any additional information pertaining to this incident is strongly encouraged to contact Detective Chabot at 310-458-2201 ext. 6679 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.

Couple Arrested for Armed Purse Snatching

3.31.22. Santa Monica Police say they arrested a 22 year old man and a 35 year old woman for a drive up armed robbery against a pedestrian and 25th and Alta. They stole a woman's purse early Thursday evening, but were arrested buying gas at a Chevron station shortly thereafter.

SMPD says they made the arrest after a chase involving the SWAT team. SMPD chased the suspects after they used a black Glock replica handgun to steal a lady's purse, then stopped at Chevron.

On March 31, 2021, at about 7:15pm, Santa Monica Police Dispatch received a 911 call about an armed robbery that just occurred near 25th St. and Alta Ave. The 911 caller provided a description of the suspect vehicle, a red Ford Mustang, and its last known direction of travel. Officers learned that a victim was walking in the area when the Ford Mustang pulled up alongside of her. The male passenger pulled out a handgun, demanded the victim's belongings, then fled with her purse.

Minutes later, SMPD personnel spotted a red Ford Mustang at the Chevron (432 Wilshire Blvd.), before it drove off. The license plate on the vehicle showed it was stolen. The vehicle was seen again at another Chevron(1732 Lincoln Blvd.)

Upon contact, the two occupants fled on foot. The female driver, later identified as 35-year-old Lorenza Luisa Garcia, was immediately apprehended. Garcia was in possession of the victim's wallet.

The male passenger jumped a wall into the alley. A perimeter was established and a Special Weapons and Tactics(SWAT)call- out was initiated. A short time later, SMPD officers were alerted that a male was hiding under a blanket outside a nearby apartment building. The male suspect, later identified as 22-year-old DylonJames Sotelo-Camacho, was taken into custody without incident.

Inside the red Ford Mustang, officers located the victim's purse and a black Glock replica handgun. Sotelo-Camacho and Garcia both from Riverside, were booked for Robbery, Conspiracy and Resist/Delay/Obstruct Arrest.