Hermosa Beach police weren’t concerned about the watermelon they found in a local fruit vendor’s vehicle. It was the bags containing the meth that were the problem, they said.
An officer patrolling a parking lot in the beach town about 4 p.m. Monday noticed a truck with registration stickers that had been altered to look current, police said.
A fruit vendor was transporting not only a watermelon but also narcotics, police said.
(Hermosa Beach Police Department)
When police questioned the truck’s owner, Sabas Arizpe, he claimed he had stolen the stickers from another vehicle, according to police, a misdemeanor offense. When he checked on Arizpe, he also discovered he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
When Arizpe was arrested, he allegedly told police that there were drugs in the truck. When the officer conducted a search, police said, he found baggies containing drug residue.
The street vendor was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and falsifying his registration, as well as his outstanding warrant, and his vehicle was towed.
Hermosa Beach police said they could not confirm whether Arizpe was dealing drugs while selling his fruit on the street.
The Hermosa Beach Police Department shared photos of the incident on social media post. Images from body camera video show an officer sorting through small plastic bags and a watermelon under a seat.
“Watermelon with a side of meth???” caption read.
Ryan Walker, a public information officer for Hermosa Beach, said the city had received a number of complaints from businesses with street vendors “operating illegally out of brick-and-mortar businesses.” He said the police had issued about a dozen in the past month to those who lacked proper permits to sell food on the sidewalks.
“How sad,” one person commented on the police post about the arrest. “I hope this doesn’t dissuade people from supporting honest suppliers.”