On Nov. 14 at approximately 12:05 a.m., a woman left an event at the Santa Monica Place mall and walked over to the Ma'kai Restaurant at 101 Broadway. As soon as the victim entered, the suspect approached her and asked if she was “hitting on her man.”
Before the victim could respond, the suspect punched her just above the nose. The suspect was possibly wearing a ring, created a deep cut in the victim's forehead. Paramedics responded and transported the victim to the hospital.
Witnesses had met the suspect earlier and had her contact information, so officers were able to pass along the information to the detective bureau. A detective later contacted the suspect by phone, but she claimed the victim pushed her and said she was only defending herself.
When the detective told the suspect she caused a serious injury, the suspect claimed she was homeless and implied he would have trouble finding her. After obtaining an arrest warrant, undercover officers located the suspect and saw her driving away from her home. Uniformed officers then stopped the suspect and took her into custody.
Courtney Alexandra Porche, 25, of Los Angeles, was charged with felony assault and battery. Bail was set at $50,000.
Editor's note: Crime Watch is culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.