Police Blotter: Suspicious Item Closes Street; 40 Arrested Downtown On Halloween

Suspicious Item Closes Westside Street

Santa Cruz police shut down part of Swift Street on Monday after a resident called in a report of a suspicious item, what appeared to be a pipe bomb, police reported.

The item turned out to be part of a bike lock with tape on it, Santa Cruz police spokesman Zach Friend said Monday afternoon.

Both Santa Cruz police and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's bomb team responded to the incident.

Swift Street between Delaware Avenue and Jeter Street was closed for more than two hours but was reopened before 2 p.m.

20,000 Partiers For Halloween; 40 Arrested Downtown

More than 20,000 revelers hit downtown Santa Cruz streets Sunday night to celebrate Halloween—something police say is the largest unofficial party in the city.

The Santa Cruz Police Department teamed up with nine other law enforcement agencies in the area to keep the party under control. And it appeared to be a successful effort, keeping the night mostly uneventful.

Over the course of the night, there were 40 arrests downtown, 32 of which were for being drunk in public. Two of the public intoxication arrests were minors, police reported Monday.

In addition, 23 citations were issued for municipal code violation, which included having open containers and urinating in public. The recipients of the citations face triple the normal fines for violations on Halloween.

Santa Cruz police also noted there were several contacts with known Santa Cruz County gang members and some from outside of the area as well.

Outside of downtown, Santa Cruz police fielded 200 phone calls from the public and made 33 arrests, primarily for driving under the influence, public intoxication and drug possession.

Police also reported an armed robbery Sunday evening in the 100 block of Plymouth Street, near to where Ocean Street meets Highway 1.

According to witnesses, the suspect was last seen running toward Grant Street. After setting up a perimeter, officers caught the suspect, Michael Fox-Kent. Fox-Kent was in possession of money taken from the business and the knife allegedly used in the robbery.

He was arrested and is charged with armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.