Homeless Man Cited for Panhandling with Machete
23-Year-Old from North Carolina Also Has Los Angeles Warrant
A 23-year-old homeless man from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, was cited Monday for aggressive panhandling after an SBPD Community Services Liaison employee witnessed him wielding a machete on State Street and saying to a passerby: “Give me your (expletive) money.”
According to police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood, “Several pedestrians appeared startled and frightened by this behavior and walked hurriedly away from [Trevor] Ruggles after he confronted them. It did not appear that any of the passersby were overtly threatened with the machete; however none of them remained at the scene to be contacted by officers.”
Ruggles, said Harwood, sheathed the 22-inch weapon when he saw the first police car arrive on scene in the 500 block of State Street. He was issued a citation for aggressive panhandling and carrying a knife in plain view with a blade in excess of three inches. The machete was seized as evidence. Officers, explained Harwood, also discovered Ruggles had an outstanding, non-extraditable $5,000 warrant out of a Santa Monica. He was issued a notice to appear in Los Angeles court for that warrant.
