Detectives Apprehended the Suspect, Who Is Homeless and Recently Arrived in Santa Monica
A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing that occurred on Oct. 16 in Santa Monica, where police responded to a call reporting a bleeding man on the sidewalk in the 500 block of Broadway, SMPD announced.
Upon arrival around 7 p.m., officers found the victim, a recently arrived homeless man from Kentucky, suffering from stab wounds. The victim provided a general description of the suspect and a possible first name. Following a review of surveillance footage and further investigation, SMPD detectives identified and apprehended the suspect, 23-year-old Damian Garcia, who is also homeless and recently arrived in Santa Monica from Florida.
Garcia was arrested on Oct. 23 and arraigned on October 25, where the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury. Garcia is also being held on a fugitive warrant from Florida and will face extradition following his current charges. He remains in custody with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Garcia’s criminal history includes previous charges of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, vehicle theft, armed robbery, and resisting arrest with violence, according to SMPD.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Ben Jenkins at (310) 458-4884, Sergeant Chad Goodwin at (310) 458-8931, or the Watch Commander desk, which is available 24/7, at (310) 458-8427.
