Crime & Safety

Two Big Halloween Busts: Drugs on a Bike Rider; Tripping Out on Ocean Street

Police stopped a man for what looked like a stolen bicycle, but it wasn't. He did, however, have serious drugs. A second man was found spaced out and getting naked on Ocean Street.

Santa Cruz Police made 32 arrests on Halloween downtown and gave 59 triple fines.


The arrests were for public intoxication or drinking on the street, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a knife, parole and probation violations resisting arrest.

Citations were for open container violations, smoking and littering.

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Two of the bigger cases were:

At 6:15 p.m. an officer on routine patrol near Front and Laurel streets saw a man on a bicycle that looked like one in a stolen bike report.

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It wasn't the same bike, but the officer found that its rider had a warrant for his arrest, and when he was taking Ricardo Garcia, 21, into custody, he found methamphetamine and cocaine in his pockets.

Garcia struggled with the officer but the officer held on. 

Garcia was taken into custody and found to be in possession of about 7 grams of cocaine, 2.3 grams of methamphetamine, pay owe sheets, and about $500 cash.  Garcia was booked for the warrant, resisting arrest and the drug charges.  No one was injured during the incident.

Police were called at 3 a.m. Thursday after people saw a man walking in the road on the 1500 block of Ocean Street, taking off his clothes and apparently hallucinating.

They arrested Brendan Brose, 23, of Ben Lomond, for being under the influence of drugs and obstructing and delaying an officer.

Brose was wearing tie dyed pants and a plaid shirt, according to Santa Cruz Police. When the officer arrived he saw that Brose was talking to himself and apparently on drugs or communicating with the higher power. 

The officer attempted to contact him but he refused to comply with verbal commands and then started running north on Ocean toward Highway 17 into oncoming traffic.

The officer chased him and was able to detain him – once detained Brose attempted to run again but was stopped a short distance later.

He was taken to Santa Cruz County Jail.


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