After a wave of violent incidents in Santa Monica, residents and city officials expressed some serious concerns, with the city’s mayor calling for emergency funding, more police and state aid.
“There are good things about the city, but we’re losing,” said Christina Tullock, who lives on the Santa Monica-Venice border.
Tullock told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that she often sees one violent attack after another and believes the underlying issues are mental health and drugs.
“You can do as much as you can, but the police can’t do anything until something happens,” he said. “What I want is to see things happen preemptively, which is to help people who are sick, to help people who are addicted to drugs.”
However, as crowds flock to the Santa Monica Pier ahead of next weekend’s Fourth of July holiday, the city has been the scene of the most violent attacks since the beginning of the year.
Just this weekend, five people were arrested after a giant brawl on the beach left one person stabbed and another with an ankle injury. Both victims were hospitalized.
Earlier this week, 32-year-old Jawann Dwayne Garnett, who police say is homeless, was arrested after a violent attack on three beach women. He has since been charged with attempted rape and attempted murder.
On June 11, a 26-year-old man at Jameson’s Pub on Main Street in Santa Monica punched and killed the bar manager after which one of the few customers asked to leave the establishment.
Last May, a 39-year-old man believed to be homeless was arrested after he reportedly assaulted a 73-year-old woman, leaving her with minor injuries. Bystanders also said the suspect has been seen trying to punch others in the area.
Almost a week and a half before the attack, 29-year-old Larry Ameyal Cedeno was arrested after an unprovoked attack near Parking Structure 7 in the 1500 block of 4th.Th The road left two people hospitalized with stab wounds, one listed in critical but stable condition.
On May 16, a Venice resident jogging in the 2000 block of Ocean Front Walk in Santa Monica was violently dragged into a bathroom. Police said Malcolm Ward, 48 years old, parolee, intended to sexually assault the victim.
He was arrested and has since been charged with attempted kidnapping and assault with intent to commit rape.
Some Santa Monica regulars, like Howard Zickefose, say it’s confusing and disorienting to be out in the city and suddenly get caught up in police activity.
“We were having fun, coming back from shopping at Trader Joes in the middle of the day yesterday and we were surrounded by the police,” he said of Saturday’s beach brawl. “They were driving in all directions and there were helicopters flying by.”
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Santa Monica resident Elizabeth Brown cautions tourists in the area to be aware of what and who is around them when visiting.
“If you live in a really safe neighborhood and come here, you just have to be more aware of your surroundings,” he said.
Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock says the problems facing Santa Monica are happening in Los Angeles.
“Some of the same crime patterns, some of the same thefts, some of the same behaviors come from homeless people who are drug addicts or mentally ill,” he said. “It (also) comes from people coming across the border and saying, ‘Hey, Santa Monica is making money, let’s make money here.'”
Brock plans to saturate businesses and residential areas with police officers to stop crimes before they happen, but he says he needs funds to do that. He added that he also needs help from the court system, the district attorney’s office and the state of California.
However, according to the mayor, the city council rejected a proposal to take several million dollars from the city budget for emergency security use during the summer. The additional funding, he said, could increase patrols in the area and hopefully ease the concerns of people, like Matt Gotzka, on board.
“You don’t want to hear about attempted stabbings and violence against people on the beach,” Gotzka told KTLA. “You’re here trying to have fun.”
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