Copper Wire Theft Suspect Arrested
February 7, 2025 3:22 PM
Summary:
Date of Incident: Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 1:30 a.m.
Type of Incident: Theft of Copper Wire
Location: Near Colorado and 15th
Suspect: Gonzalez Alvarado, Juan Carlos, DOB 06.22.1981
Santa Monica, CA – On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, officers with the Santa Monica Police Department located Juan Carlos Gonzalez Alvarado near the 1500 block of Colorado Avenue, pushing a city-owned trash container containing over 300 pounds of copper wire. Further investigation revealed that the loose wire matched that of recently damaged underground electrical pull boxes at nine locations along Colorado Avenue.
Gonzalez Alvarado, 43, was arrested on the following charges:
· 487(a)PC – Grand Theft over $950
· 594(b)(1)PC – Defacement/Damage over $400
· 11377(a)HS – Possession of a controlled substance
· 466 PC – Possession of burglar tools
The City of Santa Monica maintains more than 6,000 streetlights that ensure proper visibility on roadways and sidewalks. Theft of wire from streetlights is not only illegal, but it also compromises safety, leaving neighborhoods, roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks without light for extended periods. Additionally, this criminal activity causes damage to the internal conduits, disrupting the entire system and requiring significant time, resources, and funding to repair and replace the damaged infrastructure, including the missing wire.
Anyone with information related to this incident or these individuals is encouraged to contact Detective Michael Castruita at michael.castruita@santamonica.gov, Sergeant Cooney at shaun.cooney@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander 24 hours at 310-458-8427.
Media Contact
Lewis Gilmour
Lieutenant
Lewis.Gilmour@santamonica.gov
