Hermosa Beach police weren't concerned about the watermelon they found in a local fruit vendor's vehicle. They said the problem was baggies containing methamphetamine.
An officer patrolling a parking lot in the beach city around 4 p.m. Monday noticed a truck with registration stickers that had been altered to appear current, police said.
A fruit vendor was transporting not only a watermelon but also narcotics, police said.
(Hermosa Beach Police Department)
When the officer questioned the truck's owner, Sabas Arizpe, he claimed to have stolen the decals from another vehicle, according to police, which is a misdemeanor. Additionally, upon patting Arizpe down, they discovered he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
When Arizpe was stopped, he allegedly told the officer there were drugs in the truck. When the officer conducted a search, police say, he found baggies containing drug residue.
The street vendor was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and falsifying his registration, as well as for his outstanding arrest warrant, and his vehicle was towed.
Hermosa Beach police said they could not confirm whether Arizpe was dealing drugs in addition to selling his fruit on the street.
The Hermosa Beach Police Department shared footage of the incident in a social media post. Body camera video footage shows an officer sorting through small plastic bags and a watermelon under a seat.
“Watermelon with a little bit of meth?” the caption read.
Ryan Walker, a public information officer for Hermosa Beach, said the city had received several complaints of street vendors “operating illegally out of brick-and-mortar businesses.” He said police had issued about a dozen citations in the past month to those lacking proper permits to sell food on sidewalks.
“What a bummer,” one person commented on the police post about the arrest. “I hope this doesn’t stop people from supporting honest vendors.”
