The Suspect Is Responsible for Another Recent Assault.
On Saturday, May 27, 2023, at approximately 7:30 p.m., officers from the Santa Monica Police Department DART were alerted by a victim of an assault that had just taken place while patrolling the Pier.
The victim, a tourist from Mexico, reported that around ten minutes earlier, an unidentified male suspect had approached her and forcefully grabbed her breast. The suspect, later identified as Johnathan Peck, proceeded to walk past the victim but remained in the vicinity.
According to the victim’s account, she informed her friend about the incident, prompting the friend to approach Peck and confront him about the sexual assault. In response, Peck utilized a large, sharpened stick to stab the friend, causing injuries to their face and neck. Subsequently, Peck fled the scene but was swiftly apprehended by additional officers stationed on the Pier.
During the course of their investigation, law enforcement officers discovered that Peck was also responsible for another assault that occurred shortly before the aforementioned incident. In this separate assault, Peck targeted a female victim by grabbing her breasts and also assaulted a male victim, stabbing him with the aforementioned stick.
Two of the victims, who sustained minor injuries as a result of the attacks, were promptly transported to local hospitals for medical treatment.
The suspect, Johnathan James Peck, is currently in police custody.
