A transient was arrested Monday after he drove onto the Venice Boardwalk and struck a pedestrian.
The dangerous situation unfolded Monday morning when a driver suspected of DUI apparently veered onto the Venice Boardwalk at Rose Avenue and drove for several blocks before striking a pedestrian with enough force to shatter the vehicle’s windshield.
Bystanders on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, which included a YouTuber who posts to his Venice Gallerie YouTube channel, were startled to see a gray Hyundai Elantra driving down Ocean Front Walk by what appeared to be an intoxicated driver.
The video begins shortly after the collision with an exchange outside the Venice Breeze Suites where the suspect, later identified as 33 year-old Israel Deavila, is repeatedly asked “why are you on the boardwalk?” Deavila takes a sip of a Modelo beer and asks “you gonna call the cops?...call the cops.” Deavila makes several unintelligible statements before driving off.
The video continues with the car driving past the nearby basketball courts and then cuts to a shot of the vehicle now heading south towards the Venice Beach Skatepark with an LAPD cruiser behind the Elantra and two officers shouting at the suspect to “Turn it off!”
After approaching the vehicle and repeating the commands, an officer opens the driver’s side door and attempts to extract the suspect. The suspect is heard saying “Shoot me!” before proceeding to plow into a bicycle that had been laid in front of the car.
Bystanders approach the vehicle with one man apparently trying to help officers pull Deavila out of the car. That individual then moves around to the passenger side where he can be seen repeatedly kicking Deavila as officers continue to demand he exit the car.
Deavila was eventually extracted and arrested. During the incident, he made several statements in Spanish and English - referencing trust in God and gay men.
The video ends with footage of the pedestrian who was struck by the suspect’s car receiving treatment by the LAFD for injuries to his wrist and back. The impact was great enough that the pedestrian was thrown onto the car’s windshield, which showed extensive damage.
The unidentified pedestrian stated once he realized the driver was not going to stop after the impact, his instinct was to “roll” off the car where he ended up landing on his back. When asked about being taken to the hospital, he explained that he was unable to be transported by ambulance since he is traveling with his dog and does not want to leave his puppy in a hot car.
LAPD said Deavila is facing several charges but could only confirm Assault with a Deadly Weapon on Thursday. According to LAPD, Deavila did not provide a city of residence and is listed as a transient in their system. He is currently in jail with $120,000 in bail.
Police Arrest Man Driving with Open Container and Hitting Pedestrian on the Venice Beach Boardwalk.
SMDP Editor Matthew Hall contributed to this report.
Westside Current, Special to the Daily Press
