A homeless man is in serious but stable condition after being stabbed in Downtown Santa Monica on Wednesday.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responded to the 5th Court and Broadway at about 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 for a man in need of medical aid. When they arrived in the alley, officers found a homeless man with a serious stab wound.
The victim was transported to a local hospital where he remains in serious but stable condition.
SMPD said the suspect is described as male, Black, approximately 20-25 years old with dreadlocks and a very distinctive “FTP” tattoo on his face.
The most recent stabbing is just one of many occuring in Santa Monica this year. Most recently, a homeless man used a knife to attack a SMPD officer earlier this month. In that incident the officer shot and killed the attacker. In September a homeless man was found stabbed to death in an alley near Reed Park. In other cases, individuals with knives threatened a child on the Pier, slashed a security guard in a downtown parking lot, stabbed a pair of tourists downtown and slashed the face of a man seeking services at the People Concern’s downtown homeless shelter.
The Santa Monica Police Department released a statement calling this week’s stabbing “another unacceptable crime in the City of Santa Monica that involves the intersection of complex societal issues of homelessness, substance abuse, and dangerous weapons.”
The statement said officers are committed to addressing the problems by focusing on the root causes of crime in this area and to preemptively thwart any potential future incidents.
“Moreover, our officers will increase their presence, building stronger bonds with the residents and business owners while collaborating with neighboring law enforcement agencies to identify those responsible. We are proactive in the effort to prevent further incidents,” said the statement.
The statement said the department will continue to provide updates on its efforts through regular weekly web updates and said residents can report suspicious activities via 24/7 Dispatcher (310) 458-8491, working with Neighborhood Resource Officers and Community Affairs Unit (310) 458-8474, and looking out for each other as neighbors.
Officials said SMPD detectives continue to search for surrounding security camera footage of the most recent incident and are asking for the community to contact the Watch Commander (310-458-8426) should you have any information that may assist in identifying the suspect.
