The U.S. Postal Service is temporarily suspending services in a Santa Monica neighborhood after multiple attacks on its mail carriers, the agency said Monday.
There have been three incidents in the 1300 block of 14th Street in Santa Monica involving three separate letter carriers, USPS spokeswoman Natashi Garvins told KTLA.
“Multiple carriers have been subjected to assaults and threats of assault from an individual who has not been located or apprehended,” letters from USPS posted in the neighborhood read.
A Santa Monica Police Department lieutenant told KTLA the agency only found one crime report involving a USPS letter carrier in the 1300 block of 14th Street.
The incident, which was reported on Jan. 19, involved a resident who assaulted a USPS mail carrier with a broomstick, according to Santa Monica Police Lt. Erika Aklufi. The victim sustained a minor injury to his arm and did not require medical attention.
The resident lives in the area and “is known to our officers and also to the mail carrier he attacked,” Aklufi said in an email. The mail carrier declined prosecution for the incident, according to police.
“If there were other incidents of USPS mail carriers being attacked, we were unable to locate additional reports,” the police spokeswoman said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service released a statement saying they’re aware of “recent reports of suspicious activity” toward postal carriers in Santa Monica, and that inspectors are investigating the incidents.
The letters posted in the neighborhood about the suspension of services tells residents they can pick up their mail at the post office on 7th Street.
“This is an unusual, but necessary step to protect our employees,” the USPS spokeswoman said.
Some residents voiced their annoyance with the suspension of mail services.
“It doesn’t make sense,” said resident Michael Fan. “Why do I have to drive to the post office, pay for parking, for mail that should be delivered…?”
Some felt they were being unfairly penalized for one person’s actions.
“Obviously, the health and wellbeing of the people delivering our mail is everyone’s number one concern; we don’t want anyone put in harm,” said Teddy Canner. “But if there’s a gentleman that lives a few doors down that is making the neighborhood unsafe, then I think he should be removed from the neighborhood.”
USPS did not say when services will resume and no further details were available.
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