Photo: City Hall (Nicole Charky)
Here’s a tale from the Santa Monica Patch of looting and assault that resulted in over 400 arrests.
“SANTA MONICA, CA — More than 400 people wer
e arrested in Santa Monica following the unrest Sunday, according to Santa Monica police Chief Cynthia Renaud in a press conference early Monday at Santa Monica Pier.
A majority of the people arrested were not Santa Monica residents, Renaud said. These people were arrested on suspicion of looting, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, she said.
No significant injuries and no loss of life were reported, Renaud added.
“I have to tell you, this is not what this intersection looked like 18 hours ago, but today is a bright and beautiful day and while I know it’s difficult to find a bright spot in all of this destruction we had no significant injuries last night and no loss of life,” Renaud said.
“What happened last night is not representative of this great Santa Monica community that values peaceful protest, equity, social justice and equality,” Renaud said. “We made over 400 arrests last night, 95% of those arrested do not reside in the city of Santa Monica.”
Safety does remain a top priority for serving the community, she said.
“We are here, we are ready,” Renaud said. “We have the National Guard on our side and they will be us through this event. We’re monitoring intelligence activity at this moment to be prepared for whatever else might come our way and we’re putting physical barriers in place to ensure the protection of our city.”
There will be zero tolerance for looting, she said.
Law enforcement from across Los Angeles County to Santa Barbara County was called to Santa Monica overnight.
She added that these law enforcement officers “performed greatly, wisely and calmly last night.”
A curfew will be at 1 p.m. in the business district in Santa Monica and 4 p.m. citywide Monday.”
