SANTA MONICA—Jonathan Manuel Perez, 22, of Los Angeles was arrested and booked into the Santa Monica Police Jail for Carjacking, and other Vehicle Code Sections. Perez was on active parole for a prior Armed Carjacking officers later discovered.
On Thursday, February 16, at around 7 p.m. officers with the Santa Monica Police Department were dispatched to the beach Parking Lot 1 North, located on 1550 Pacific Coast Highway, after receiving reports of an armed carjacking. Officers met the victim at the scene who explained that two male suspects approached her and one was brandishing a handgun. They demanded the keys to her car and she complied. The suspects fled the scene in her gray Ford Focus.
Officers later spotted the victim’s car on the Eastbound I-10 Freeway where they witnessed the suspect letting the passenger out of the vehicle before continuing east. Perez exited at Robertson and struck two other vehicles along the way. He was apprehended at the scene and when police searched the vehicle they discovered a replica firearm.
The second suspect has not been located and authorities are still searching for him. He has been described as a Hispanic male, wearing a black jacket, black pants, and a dark facemask over the mouth. The suspect’s age is unknown.
Anyone with any additional information pertaining to the outstanding suspect or incident is asked to contact SMPD Detective Ismael Tavera at 310-458-2256 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.
