March 17, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

This Homeless Santa Monica Resident Saved a Teenage Girl From a Vicious Attack

City Council’s Commendation for Wilker Was Made at Its Most Recent Meeting on July 9

By Zach Armstrong

Santa Monica City Council commended a local unhoused resident for her heroic efforts in fighting off Jawann Garnett, who now faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison for his actions, from assaulting and possibly attempting to murder a teenage girl on Santa Monica Beach in late June.

On June 24 just before 10 a.m., Jenna Wilker was on Santa Monica beach when she witnessed Garnett attempting to strangle and rape a 17-year-old girl. She acted promptly to pull the perpetrator away from his victim, but was punched and bitten by the man before he continued attacking the teenage victim. Soon after, Garnett then began assaulting a woman in her 70s, pulling her into the ocean and holding her underwater.

Authorities arrived within minutes, halting Garnett’s rampage and taking him into custody. The juvenile victim was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries and later released. The other two victims, including Wilker, were treated on scene by lifeguards and fire department personnel.

Following the incident, the District Attorney charged Garnett with attempted murder and felony child abuse for the attack on the juvenile, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury and assault with intent to commit rape for the attack on Wilker, and attempted murder and kidnapping for the assault on the elderly woman.

Garnett, who is currently homeless, has a criminal history in Los Angeles County that includes prior arrests for assault with intent to commit rape, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, and domestic violence. 

City Council’s commendation for Wilker was made at its most recent meeting on July 9. 

“Jenna’s actions demonstrated selflessness and courage under extreme circumstances, and prevented further harm to the victim and helped the SMPD apprehend the suspect. Jenna’s actions highlight the important role a bystander can play when they see someone in need of help.” Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock stated on LinkedIn.

A GoFundMe page titled “Let’s House Our Hero, Jenna Wilker” aims to raise $15,000 in order for Wilker to find a residence and help pay for food and other bills. At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised over $4,600 across 123 donations. 

The GoFundMe can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-house-our-hero-jenna-wilker.

in News, Upbeat
<>Related Posts

Palisades Land Market Lags Behind Altadena in Sales

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025

The market trends indicate that demand for land in the Palisades remains cautious, with buyers weighing rebuilding costs and the...

Santa Monica Expands Behavioral Health Services to Address Growing Crisis

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025

The council’s actions stem from a 2022 directive to develop a behavioral health strategy, prompted by increasing demands for mental...

Bringing Literature to Life: Literati Events Announces Quarterly Event Series

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

Alice in Wonderland Themed Vendor Market and Show Coming Soon By Susan Payne On a mission to bring literature to...

America’s Wealthiest 0.1% Could Buy Every Home in the 25 Largest U.S. Cities

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

New Redfin Report Reveals Disparity as People Struggle to Buy and Rent Homes The wealthiest 1% of Americans now have...

California Insurance Chief Conditionally Approves Rate Hikes, But State Farm Must Face Public Hearing

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

Commissioner Lara Presses State Farm to Justify Rate Hikes and Halt Policy Cancellations In response to the ongoing insurance crisis...

Your Guide to Free Museum Weekend: 30 SoCal Museums Waiving Admission Fees

March 14, 2025

March 14, 2025

Explore Art, History, and Culture for Free as Museums Across LA Open Their Doors Art and history lovers in Southern...

Mayor Bass’ Text Messages Deleted Amid Pacific Palisades Fire Response Scrutiny

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Public Records Requests Reveal That Mayor Bass’ Phone Auto-Deletes Messages On January 7, as powerful winds and dry conditions fueled...

Venice Art Crawl Opens Registration for March 20 Event

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Organizers encourage artists of all disciplines to sign up before the deadline Registration is now open for the upcoming Venice...

Sen. Ben Allen to be Honored at ‘Stairway of the Stars’ Concert in Santa Monica

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

The concert, now in its 74th year, features nearly 900 students from elementary, middle, and high schools across the SMMUSD...

Palisades High School Band to Perform at Hollywood Bowl to Honor First Responders

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Titled WE ❤️ LA, the event will feature a program spanning classical, jazz, and iconic film scores The Palisades Charter...

Santa Monica College President Honored as 2025 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 51

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Her tenure has focused on expanding access to education for underrepresented communities Santa Monica College Superintendent and President Dr. Kathryn...

Film Review: Mickey 17

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

MICKEY 17Rated R137 MinutesReleased March 7th Mickey 17 plays like a journey, a momentous journey, to another planet.  It’s 2054,...

Baltaire Celebrates 10 Years with a ‘Decade of Decadence’ Anniversary Bash On Saturday

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Brentwood’s Iconic Steakhouse Marked a Milestone With an Unforgettable Night of Fine Dining Last Saturday night was the official party...

Three Charged in FEMA Fraud Scheme Following California Wildfires

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Fraud related to disaster benefits carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison Three individuals, including two from...

(Video) Baltaire’s Amazing 10th Anniversary Party

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

The Greek Salad prepared table side. Bluefin Toro with Crispy Rice, wasabi, spicy mayo, pickled ginger. Chateaubriand, 16 oz, with...