Two Teenagers Arrested in Aptos High School Stabbing Murder
Tuesday afternoon around 2:30PM, deputies from the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a stabbing at Aptos High School. When deputies arrived, they found a 17 year old student on campus suffering from multiple stab wounds. The student was taken by life-flight to a trauma center where he passed away from his injuries. The school was immediately placed on lockdown, and after interviewing witnesses and searching the school, two students were detained and arrested for the stabbing. The two students suspected of the stabbing are 14 and 17 years old. They will be charged with murder.
Three Suspected Gang Members Arrested in Blaine Street Shooting
Sunday night around 11PM, SCPD responded to the 100 block of Blaine Street after getting reports of a possible drive by shooting. Police say a single gunshot was fired at an apartment building. No one was injured by the bullet and witnesses gave descriptions of the suspects who were later stopped at gunpoint at the Shell station on Ocean Street and arrested by police. A ghost gun was found in possession of the suspects. Police say all three suspects are affiliated with a local gang and believe the shooting was gang-motivated. Two of the suspects were booked on attempted homicide charges while a third was booked on gang charges.
Watsonville Man Confesses to Murder
A 22 year old man was arraigned in court on Thursday morning and formally charged with murder after he confessed to shooting and killing a man in October of last year. Watsonville Police said the man was in county jail for an unrelated case when he confessed to killing a 26 year old on Main Street and Pennsylvania Drive last October. There was a second shooting that happened earlier that same night that they eventually found wasn’t linked to the homicide investigation at Pennsylvania Drive.
Teenage Girl Arrested For Pulling Knife on Another Student
A 13 year old girl has been arrested after she pulled out a knife and threatened another student during an argument at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Watsonville. According to Watsonville police, two students were in a confrontation with each other on Wednesday afternoon when the suspect pulled out a knife and began advancing towards the other student. School staff intervened and no one was injured. The 13 year old girl was arrested and charged with brandishing a weapon and carrying a weapon on school grounds. She was taken to juvenile hall.
5 Guys and a Knife
Last Thursday around 10:30PM, SCPD responded to the Metro Station in downtown Santa Cruz after getting reports of a guy pulling a knife on another guy and threatening him. He left the Metro and headed over to 5 Guys where he proceeded to threaten a few more people with his knife. He was eventually arrested behind Motiv on Lincoln Street. The 21 year old suspect was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats, and flashing a weapon. He doesn’t appear to be in jail.
No Charges Against Officers Involved in April Shooting
This week, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney announced that no criminal charges will be filed against three deputies involved in a shooting in Aptos earlier this year. On April 6th, deputies were investigating a suspicious vehicle in the 7900 Block of Soquel Drive. They noticed the driver was armed with a handgun and when they attempted to detain him, he fired at least one round at the deputies. One deputy fired back multiple times, hitting the suspect. The 39 year old man was taken to the hospital and survived. According to the DA’s Office, they determined that the deputies involved acted within the law and have no criminal liability for the officer-involved shooting and that the use of force was justified based on the totality of the circumstances.
Penny Bail!
Friday night around 8PM, SCPD ran a plate on a stolen truck at the Royal Taj restaurant. After the driver pulled into the parking lot, SCPD stopped the driver at gunpoint. The truck was reported stolen out of Santa Cruz. And apparently the driver was kicked to the proverbial curb for a penny by the Sheriff.
Just Asking to be Pulled Over
Wednesday night around 10PM, Watsonville Police stopped a vehicle on the 200 Block of E. Lake Avenue for not having the license plate mounted and having tinted windows. After searching the car, they found two illegally possessed guns. One suspect had a previous felony conviction and was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail. The other suspect was cited and released on misdemeanor charges.
Another Driver Goes Over West Cliff Drive
Friday night around 8:30PM, SCPD along with Santa Cruz Fire responded to the 900 block of West Cliff Drive after getting reports of a vehicle going west over the cliff. Apparently everyone got out of the vehicle ok but things didn’t turn out so well for the vehicle. They had to use a small crane the next day to get the car out.
Something’s Coming
The Santa Cruz Police Department is cracking down on illegal parking on the west side of the city. Calling it “Operation Westside Story”, police and tow trucks have been out in the area of Delaware/Swanton and Mission Street extension. This is near the Natural Bridges State Beach area. Otherwise known as “Skid Row Westside”. It’s been a makeshift camp for all kinds of vehicles. Buses, trailers, RVs, cars, vans. There have been reports from residents in the area that vehicles emptied raw sewage into street gutters and used yards and gardens as bathrooms. SCPD towed and cited numerous vehicles in the area. They were looking for vehicles with expired tags over six months and vehicles with unpaid tickets. One land yacht had 68 unpaid parking citations and an expired registration. Four RVs were towed, one with sewage leaking from it. The Public Works Department emptied the sewage tank on four motorhomes and suctioned up the sewage. Seven cars were towed and SCPD and Public Works disposed of trash left behind. Eight citations were issued for various municipal and vehicle code violations. Two arrests were made for possession of drug paraphernalia
If you live in Santa Cruz and want to report nuisance vehicles and parking violations, call the hotline at 831-420-5863. If you call, make sure to take note of the location, color, make and model and license plate number of the vehicle.
Living High Off the Hog
Ok I’m gonna open a can of worms. I keep hearing lots of rumors about the city of Santa Cruz settling a lawsuit against the city by a former boyfriend of Bad Mom. Apparently he got beat up by SCPD. Apparently he sued the city. Apparently the city settled with him to the tune of more than $100K (I’ve heard $250K). Police brutality at SCPD? Say it ain’t so! That seems to be exactly what everyone at city hall and SCPD seem to be saying about this. Nothing. I hear the guy bought himself a car AND an RV and he’s living in his RV over off Shaffer Road by Natural Bridges. He gets a fat settlement and he buys an RV and lives on the street on Skid Row. Can’t fix fucking stupid. And Andy Mills and the city council, tell us about these bad cops that beat the shit out of Bad Mom’s slightly better half, taking out their pound of flesh to the tune of $250K. Who are they? Were they disciplined? Are they still employed by SCPD? How can we be sure this kind of thing won’t happen again? I’m looking for answers. Not excuses.
Where in the World is Bob Noise?
A few people have asked me about the lack of hot blustery air since Robert Norse mysteriously fell off the local radar recently. I’ve noticed his absence was kind of covered in Bratton’s recent column, which speculated on some health issues he may or may not be dealing with. As much as he annoys me, I hope he gets well soon. He’s part of keeping it weird here. Still, I’m enjoying the vacation from his mouth.
Time to Start Thinking About District Elections
With the targeted goal of November of 2022 to begin phasing in district elections for the Santa Cruz city council, it’s time to start thinking about candidates! I know. I’m kind of putting the cart in front of the horse here. But if you’re even considering a run for the Santa Cruz city council in the future district elections, I want to hear from you. Keep in mind it will be much easier to actually win a seat with district elections, because you don’t have to impress everyone in the city. You just have to impress your neighbors and the voters in your city district. So it won’t require as much money to run. Or name recognition (across the city at least). People active in their local neighborhoods have the best chance to win a seat if they choose to run. The “machine” I always talk about is being neutered as a political force locally (on BOTH sides). They won’t be able to preordain candidates, or strong arm others from running anymore. Endorsements will always be important, but who you know in your district will be more important than who you know in general. It’s gonna shake things up. So who are the next shakers? I want to hear from you.
The Weekly Seen
“Under the bridge downtown is where I drew some blood……”
Get Your Swagger On!
I have swag! I’m working with Spreadshirt and have my own shop. I just put some basic products up to start with for now with the new logo. You can also click “Customize” and “Products” and pick from other products not currently available in my store. Contact me with any questions or issues. Nothing would make me happier than to see people out and about with my swag. I want photos! I’ve never asked for money, and I still plan to continue to do the Weekly Dump each week and make it available for free, without any paywall or ads or spam (or salary). Think of this as a way of donating to the effort and getting something back for your donation (I only make a few bucks on each item sold). I’d love to do more with Santa Mierda if I had the means to do so. This will help provide the means to do so. And it helps get the word out. The hell with the coronavirus, let’s make this viral. Being stuck inside is the perfect time for online shopping! I’ll love you long time if you buy my swag.
The Santa Mierda Podcast Network
Be sure to check out the Santa Mierda Podcast Network! You can find the Santa Mierda Podcast Network on SoundCloud. And Apple Music. And Spotify. It’s free so check it out and give it a listen!
Check Out Our Twitter Feed for More Mierda!
Be sure to check out and follow our Twitter feed for even more mierda! Even though the Dump only comes your way once a week, I try to post breaking news and updates on other days as well. So check us out and follow us on Twitter for even more updates about real time news in Santa Cruz you might not otherwise hear about.
Get The Dump Delivered Each Week!
Don’t forget you can sign up and have the Weekly Dump automatically delivered to your email each week! Just click that little box in the bottom of any page that says “Follow the Weekly Dump!” and sign up! All we need is an email.
Regarding the tragic fatal stabbing at Aptos High it’s relevant to point out that the board members of the Pajaro Unified School District recently voted 5 to 2 to eliminate School Resource Law Enforcement Officers at the district’s three high school campuses, including at Aptos High. These wannabe “defund the police” lovers decided to replace the officers with “social-emotional counselors”. A very thin argument can be made that on-site law enforcement might not have prevented the killing, but it’s crystal clear that the fucking social-emotional counselors couldn’t prevent it.
It’s sad.. That’s my high school… Class of 95…. It was starting to have issues due to the 89 earthquake as it had to take on a lot of students it normally wouldn’t have.. Which made a normally mellow campus overcrowded…
Some people only understand consequence.. They aren’t thinking ‘do onto others as I would have done unto me’. The consequence should be a respect for the law if you are contemplating harm or theft.
I’ve restrained from commenting as I’ve moved out of the state after living there my entire life… I can say this… I’ll never move somewhere that doesn’t support local law enforcement again. There’s no excuse for the suffering the citizens of Santa Cruz County are enduring now or for the past 3 decades.
Such a great post. Thank you for connecting the dots.
1. That car over the cliff: Once again, I was walking my friend’s elderly gray pit bull on the West Side, and passed by as the car was being retrieved. Judging from the timing of the photo, the photographer (yourself?) and I must have been standing near each other. I asked folks who lived across the street from the event. Apparently the middle-aged driver passed out, and the middle-aged passenger, who I assume was his wife, grabbed the steering wheel to avoid a head-on with oncoming traffic. Over they went. Did not go into the drink. Apparently little or no injury. Various items, including a set of golf clubs, were also retrieved. Not a liquor or drugs thing.
2. The RVs on Delaware: Real bummer, especially since the chosen area is otherwise a nice place for locals and tourists. Among other things, the university police assist the Santa Cruz police in that area, and routinely nab someone for doing bad things. Note that the university has a facility in the vicinity, so it’s on their beat.
3. Before COVID, Robert N. would occasionally have lunch with friends at a certain local restaurant, and I might also be there. Recognizing his face from news photos, I would quietly eavesdrop. But he was always quite mild-mannered; hard to catch any conversation, and I do not recall hearing anything unsuited to the dining-out experience. Maybe much of what he does is performance acting?
4. I might be willing to tolerate a small beating for a quarter of a million dollars. Never did get to see the south of France, or hear a performance at La Scala. Who do I contact at SCPD, and what do I have to do to earn a small whack? Not a big whack; I’d rather tour and listen via online video.