Suspect Arrested for Throwing a Pole Into Traffic
November 17, 2023 11:22 AM
Santa Monica, CA – On Friday, November 10, 2023, Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested Carlos Hernandez-Martinez, a 29 year-old male experiencing homelessness, for a throwing a metal pole down onto Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) into traffic.
Hernandez-Martinez was observed by a passerby holding a four-foot metal pole while standing on top of the pedestrian bridge that crosses over PCH from Palisades Park. As officers approached, he threw the pole over the side of the bridge directly onto vehicles traveling at approximately 45 miles per hour below. Although Hernandez-Martinez initially complied with officers' orders to climb off the top of the bridge, he grabbed another stick and a frying pan from a pile of his belongings and ran from the officers. He was quickly subdued and placed in handcuffs.
SMPD detectives presented the case to the LA County District Attorney’s Office, and Hernandez-Martinez was charged with throwing an object at a vehicle with intent to cause great bodily injury, a felony, along with multiple counts of resisting arrest.
Anyone with information related to this individual or incident is encouraged to contact Detective McCoy at James.McCoy@santamonica.gov, Detective Sergeant Goodwin at Chad.Goodwin@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.
Media Contact
Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant
Erika.Aklufi@santamonica.gov