By Jorge Casuso

August 15, 2024 -- Two store employees were assaulted during separate robberies, two members of the public were radomly attacked and a teenage girl was photographed on the beach by a sex offender.

The five incidents, which led to three arrests, took place between July 21 and 28, according the latest weekly recap on the Police Department's new blog, "The Blue Notebook."

During that period, police received 2,683 calls for Service (CFS) and processed 69 subjects at the local jail -- 29 for felony arrests and 40 for misdemeanor arrests.

The two attacks on store employees took place on Wilshire Boulevard and led to arrests, according to the blog post by Lt. Erika Aklufi, the Police Department spokesperson.

In one incident, the manager of a store on the 1300 block of Wilshire was beaten unconscious after confronting a suspect who was stealing items, Aklufi said.

"The suspect punches the victim several times in the face and causes the victim to lose consciousness," Aklufi wrote. "Officers arrived on scene and attempted to detain the suspect."

After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody. Officers conducted a search and found several bags of methamphetamine.

The other incident took place Downtown on the 500 block of Wilshire when a store employee confronted a homeless suspect who was attempting to steal items.

"The suspect struck him in the face and then attempted to stab him with a knife," Aklufi said. "Officers responded and were able to take the suspect into custody as he attempted to leave the store."

The two random attacks took place on a Big Blue Bus and on Ocean Avenue near the Pier, according to the blog. In one assault, "the victim was a passenger inside a Big Blue Bus, when the suspect began to punch the victim in the face and head," Aklufi wrote.

The victim "sustained bruising and lacerations to his head and face and was take to the hospital," Aklufi said. The suspect fled before police arrived . A report was taken and forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for follow up, Aklufi said.

The second random assault took place when a pedestrian walking on the 1300 block of Ocean Avenue was "suddenly struck by an unopened can of food," Aklufi said The suspect, who is homeless, was identified and officers responded and took him into custody.

On Saturday, July 27, SMPD's Direct Action Response Team (DART)
arrested a registered sex offender for felony child annoyance while patrolling the beach in an MUV (Multi Utility Vehicle).

The officers were flagged down at 2:11 p.m. on the 1600 block of the beach by a mother who reported a man was "taking photographs of her 16-year-old daughter in her bathing suit," Aklufi said.

The suspect -- who had a prior conviction for lewd and lascivious acts with a child -- "was in possession of multiple photographs of multiple underage females in their bathing suits."

Other incidents listed in the latest blog include:

• A suspect arrested while trying to steal several bikes from a rack by cutting the locks. During the search, officers found a baggie with methamphetamine.
  
  
• A homeless suspect arrested for sexual assault after groping the breast of a woman walking on the 300 block of Palisades Park. Officers responded, located the suspect nearby, and took him into custody.
  
  
• A homeless suspect arrested for vandalism and committing a hate crime after breaking several windows of a van on Ocean and Arizona avenues. While the suspect was vandalizing the van, he was making comments regarding the victim’s race. Officers arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody.
  
  
• A homeless suspect arrested for making criminal threats against a tourist walking on the Pier. The suspect "was holding a sharp object in his hand and told the victim he wanted to kill him." The victim fled from the area and called the police. Officers arrived, located the suspect and took him into custody.
  
  
• A victim stabbed in the leg while sleeping in Tongva Park across from City Hall. Officers responded and took a report to be forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for follow up.

The latest installment of The Blue Notebook noted that patrol watches continued to deploy a community engagement vehicle in and around Reed Park, Palisades Park and Tongva Park.

"The officers assigned to this detail walk the neighborhoods and streets and engage the community in dialogue," Aklufi said.

The vehicle was also deployed in the Lincoln corridor and the Pavilion and American Motels.