Police arrested a man last week in connection with a November assault on an elderly woman and are seeking the public's help in identifying any additional victims of similar assaults.
The woman was assaulted Nov. 16 around 6 p.m. while walking home from a grocery store in Ocean Park, said Candice Cobarrubias, a Santa Monica Police Department lieutenant. A man grabbed her from behind, took her to the ground and began to violently strangle her, causing her to lose consciousness multiple times. A random car driving by caused the suspect to stop his attack and flee, Cobarrubias said.
After a neighborhood canvas and a review of surveillance videos from the area, SMPD was able to identify the man as Kenneth Jordan Wilburn, a 28-year-old Sacramento resident.
Wilburn was taken into custody Dec. 3 by SMPD with the assistance of Sacramento Police Department. He is being held on $60,000 bail and is awaiting transport to Los Angeles to appear in court.
Santa Monica Police Department is asking the public to contact Detective Nicole Murphy at 310-458-8941 or the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427 if they have any information about similar assaults on elderly individuals.
Another elderly resident was assaulted last week. R.L. Wong was walking in downtown Santa Monica Saturday morning when a man punched him in the face, damaging his teeth and dentures and splitting his upper lip.
SMPD is not releasing the suspect’s name or photo because he may be involved in additional crimes, Cobarrubias said, but the SMPD website lists Joseph Gilbert as being arrested and charged with elder abuse at about 3 p.m. on Dec. 7.
Gilbert is in jail on $50,000 bail and has been booked into the county jail ten times in the last year, according to jail records. Gilbert was previously arrested in Santa Monica in January of this year for bothering customers at a Starbucks.
madeleine@smdp.com
