His Bail Is Set at $2 Million While He Remains in Custody
By Zach Armstrong
A homeless man has been charged with attempted murder after attacking a beach goer in Santa Monica last week.
On September 19, a 28-year-old male victim reported being strangled from behind while fishing at the waterline in the 2000 Block of the Beach. The victim, a resident of West Hollywood, sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his neck and was transported to a local hospital.
John Broeksmit, a 31-year-old homeless man from Illinois, fled the scene before officers arrived, but was later found and arrested thanks to descriptions provided by the victim and witnesses.
Broeksmit’s criminal record includes incidents that all occurred this year, such as public intoxication, possession of a weapon on school grounds, and tampering with a fire alarm. Most recently, he was arrested earlier this month for burglary and public intoxication. He has no prior felony convictions.
His bail is set at $2 million while he remains in custody of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Anyone with information about this incident or suspect is asked to contact Detective Zamfirov at peter.zamfirov@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander desk 24 hours a day at (310) 458-8427.
