The DA’s office is seeking to vacate the ruling, contending that diversion is inappropriate for such a serious crime
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is challenging a judge’s decision to grant mental health diversion to a homeless man accused of a racially charged assault in Santa Monica in 2023, arguing that the severity of the crime warrants a trial, according to KFI AM 640.
Oral arguments were heard Tuesday in the California Court of Appeal regarding the case of Job Uriah Taylor, 27, who was charged with attacking three African American victims with a metal pipe while yelling racial slurs. The incidents occurred on March 3, 2023, over the course of an hour, culminating in a brutal assault that left one victim, 64-year-old Christian Hornburg, permanently confined to a wheelchair and requiring lifelong support, KFI AM 640 reported. .
According to a City of Santa Monica press release, the first incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. when Taylor approached an African American man walking his dog on the 1100 block of the beach, threatening him with a metal pipe and using racial slurs. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel intervened, and Taylor fled on a bicycle. No injuries were reported in this encounter.
Approximately 20 minutes later, at 7:50 a.m., police responded to a second incident at the train platform on 4th Street and Colorado Avenue. Taylor allegedly attacked an African American man and woman with the same pipe, striking them multiple times in the head while shouting racial slurs. Both victims were hospitalized; one was released the same day, while Hornburg sustained severe head injuries, according to the city’s press release.
Taylor was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, with hate crime enhancements added to three of the charges.
On March 12, Superior Court Judge Lana Kim granted Taylor entry into the county’s mental health diversion program, sparing him a trial. The program allows defendants with mental health issues to pursue rehabilitation instead of incarceration, but prosecutors argue the violent nature of the attacks demands full legal accountability, KFI AM 640 reported.
The DA’s office is seeking to vacate Kim’s ruling, contending that diversion is inappropriate for such a serious crime.
