The Man Doused Brock and His partner With a Sticky Liquid From a Bottle
By Zach Armstrong
Santa Monica Councilmember Phil Brock was assaulted on the 1300 block of Third Street Promenade after confronting a man tearing apart signs from a storefront.
Around 2 p.m., Brock says he saw the man tearing signs off and asked if he could place the material in the trash. After the man shouted profanities at Brock, the councilmember picked up the trash to throw away. Soon after, the man doused Brock and his Partner kathy with a sticky liquid from a bottle before throwing the bottle at them.
While kathy was on the phone with 9-1-1, they kept track of his direction to inform law enforcement. On the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Third Street, the man attempted to steal Brock’s hat then began shoving Brock. While following the man to retrieve the hat, the man fell in front of the Anthropology store where Brock said he held the man down while officers arrived.
Brock said the man was arrested on a felony of aggravated robbery. The man was also deemed mentally unfit to be on the streets by mental health professionals following the arrest. The DA will decide whether the man will be charged, Brock said.
“The problem of homelessness and mental health is huge, whether it’s drugs or mental breakdowns, and that’s been a factor for all residents and residents are of course weary,” said Brock. “We’ve hired 45 new replacement police officers in the last two years, so we are doing better.”
Despite the incident, Brock says it was a lovely afternoon spent with his wife and that Promenade still looked fantastic with shoppers. After the incident, he and kathy enjoyed dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and saw a movie.
“Yes, it was a terrible incident. But I’m resilient,” said Brock. “We’re not going to let that defeat us.”
