32-year-old man arrested Sunday evening on Santa Monica Beach, suffers head injuries in arrest
By Sam Catanzaro
As part of an arrest over the weekend, police Tased a homeless man suspected of stabbing a person with a metal compass on Santa Monica beach. The suspect was later treated at a local hospital for head injuries sustained in the arrest.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on July 18 around 6:35 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of the beach.
The SMPD says officers arrived in the area and met with a victim who reported he was stabbed in the back with an unknown object. He provided the description of the suspect and his last known direction of travel. Officers were then flagged down by other witnesses who described that the suspect was waving a “sharp object” at people, according to the SMPD.
Officers located the suspect, later identified as Timothy James Smith, a 32-year old homeless male, a short distance away, and attempted to arrest him.
“Smith disobeyed the officer’s commands and fled from them. At one point, Smith collided into a male and made a slashing motion at him, while holding the object. An officer then deployed his Taser. The Taser made contact with Smith, immediately immobilizing him, allowing officers to quickly take him into custody. Officers recovered a metal hinged compass, which was the weapon used by Smith,” wrote SMPD Lieutenant in a press release.
According to police, Smith was transported to a local hospital for the injuries he sustained during the arrest.
“From what I originally heard, he sustained some facial/head fractures. He had to be sedated by hospital staff because of his erratic and uncooperative state,” Flores told the Mirror. “The suspect fell twice during the chase; once when a citizen tripped him and the second time during the Taser deployment.”
The SMPD said it has presented assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest charges against Smith to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
