A chaotic scene unfolded near the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday afternoon, resulting in one man being stabbed, another possibly breaking his ankle, and five men being taken into custody. The brawl, which involved around 20 men, erupted around 2:21 p.m. just north of the Pier near Tower 14.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from a stab wound, which police described as non-life-threatening. Another man appeared to have broken his ankle during the altercation. Both victims were promptly transported to local hospitals for treatment.
The exact cause of the brawl remains unclear. Witnesses who spoke with Eyewitness News suggested that some of the men involved might have been street vendors, although this information has not been confirmed by the police.
“So I make my way down that way and it turns out it was like a brawl, like 12-plus people,” said witness Jose Gutierrez. “They were just going ham with poles and flags and umbrellas – whatever they could get their hands on. I saw a guy with a belt in his hand.”
Police arrested five men in connection with the fight. Three of them were taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon, one for battery, and the fifth for sexual battery. The identities of the suspects have not been released, and the investigation is ongoing.
Beachgoers were taken aback by the sudden eruption of violence. Teresa Martinez, visiting from Bakersfield, described the scene as chaotic, with people running fast, including some street vendors who seemed to be supporting each other.
“They brought the men back from the beach,” said Cristian Bautista, a beach vendor. “One had a chest injury, the other couldn’t walk—they were taken away in ambulances.”
The incident is the latest in a series of violent crimes in Santa Monica, putting residents and visitors on high alert. Just last week, 31-year-old Jawann Garnett was arrested after allegedly assaulting three women at the beach. A 17-year-old was taken to the hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while two others – an elderly woman and a bystander who tried to intervene – were treated at the scene.
Video footage from the scene showed large portions of the beach cordoned off as law enforcement arrived. Helicopters circled overhead, and dozens of officers were seen breaking up the fight and attending to the injured.
Visitors on a busy Saturday afternoon were shocked at the sudden swarm of police officers. “I’ve never seen that kind of police presence on the beach so we were a little startled by it,” said Danielle Russell, a beachgoer. “There were three ambulances, a firetruck and the whole area was surrounded with police vehicles and there were probably 25 officers.”
“I know it’s dangerous out here, but we were just taken aback that there was an actual crime scene down here,” said Michelle Beaton-Kent, another beachgoer.
Police used metal detectors to search under the sand for the stabbing weapon and eventually recovered a knife. The investigation remains active, and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Santa Monica Police Department’s Watch Commander at 310-458-8427 or non-emergency dispatch at 310-458-8491.
Source: KABC, City News Service, Inc., NBC Universal, Inc., Patch
