District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who sought the appeal, had argued that Taylor’s voluntary participation in the diversion program left him free to walk away, a concern the court upheld
A California appeals court on Tuesday overturned a lower court’s decision to grant mental health diversion to Job Uriah Taylor, 27, accused of a violent, racially motivated attack in Santa Monica in March 2023, ruling that insufficient evidence supported the finding that he would not pose a public safety risk if treated in the community.
The Second District Court of Appeal’s unpublished decision, filed Tuesday, directed the Los Angeles Superior Court to vacate Judge Lana Kim’s March order that had placed Taylor in the county’s Office of Diversion and Reentry program instead of proceeding to trial. Taylor faces charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, with hate crime enhancements, following allegations that he attacked multiple victims with a metal pipe while using racial slurs.
The court found that while psychological evaluations indicated Taylor’s schizoaffective disorder could be managed with treatment, no evidence suggested he would consistently comply with a treatment plan. Experts, including Dr. Robin Rhodes Campbell, conditioned their safety assessments on Taylor’s symptoms being controlled with medication, but noted his history of abandoning treatment and using drugs, which preceded the attacks. Dr. Chris Chen and Dr. Montgomery from the diversion program also highlighted Taylor’s past non-compliance and the lack of a locked facility to prevent him from leaving, with Dr. Montgomery unable to predict his future behavior.
The incident began on March 3, 2023, when Taylor allegedly threatened an African American man with a pipe near the 1100 block of the beach, fleeing after intervention by firefighters. About 20 minutes later, he attacked Christian Hornburg, 64, and Jade Carter at a train platform, striking them with the pipe and stomping Hornburg’s head, leaving him with life-altering injuries requiring long-term care. Duane Ziegler and Michael Okyere were also targeted in related assaults.
The appeals court, in an 18-page ruling, emphasized that Taylor’s history of leaving facilities within 24 hours and failing to take medication after hospital releases indicated a likelihood of repeating such behavior, posing a potential danger. The panel rejected arguments from Taylor’s defense and the State Public Defender that denying diversion would set a precedent limiting judicial discretion, focusing instead on the lack of evidence supporting his suitability.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who sought the appeal, had argued that Taylor’s voluntary participation in the diversion program left him free to walk away, a concern the court upheld. The case now returns to Superior Court for trial proceedings.
