Man allegedly injures officer while trying to enter Santa Monica evacuation zone
A 37-year-old man was arrested for allegedly running over an officer's foot while trying to access fire evacuation areas in Santa Monica without authorization, police said today.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of Ocean and California avenues around 6:45 a.m. Monday to reports of a hit-and-run incident involving a department employee.
Detectives have determined that two National Guard vehicles were traveling north in the southbound lanes of Ocean Avenue heading toward California Avenue to Pacific Coast Highway. Police said a green Toyota Highlander began following one National Guard vehicle on the wrong side of the road as the driver attempted to gain access to evacuation areas from the Palisades Fire.
A police traffic services officer then approached the Toyota to signal the motorist that he needed to stop. As the officer attempted to inform the driver that he was in an area not authorized to the public, the man continued to travel through a barrier, driving over the officer's foot, police said.
"Officers monitoring the broadcast of the vehicle description utilized the department's network of Flock cameras to locate the vehicle in the 2200 block of Pico Boulevard,'' the police department said in a statement.
Officers later conducted a traffic stop and determined, after an investigation, that the vehicle matched the one involved in the alleged hit-and-run.
Investigators identified the motorist as Malibu resident Walter William Larkins, who was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in injury to a person and several other vehicle violations.
The officer who sustained soft tissue injuries was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Anyone with additional information regarding the case was urged to contact Investigator Evan Raliegh at Evan.Raleigh@santamonica.gov, dispatch at 310-458-8491, or the watch commander at 310-458-8427.
