Updated

Updated · KABC-TV · Aug 23

Santa Monica Police Kill Knife-Wielding Man Near Pier After 1 p.m. Domestic Violence Call

Updated

Updated · KABC-TV · Aug 23

Santa Monica Police Kill Knife-Wielding Man Near Pier After 1 p.m. Domestic Violence Call

Q: What drove an unrelated bystander to suddenly attack police officers responding to a separate emergency in Santa Monica?

What prompted the man to charge the officers is not yet known. Based on what Santa Monica police and local outlets have reported, officers were in Palisades Park near the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue on Saturday afternoon investigating a domestic violence call when a man in his mid-40s, who was not connected to that original incident, approached them with a knife and charged. Police Chief Darrick Jacob said officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife, but he continued advancing. An officer then fired, and the man later died at a hospital. The available evidence so far establishes the sequence of events, not the motive. Authorities have said only that the man was unrelated to the domestic violence case. A knife described by the chief as “rather large” was recovered at the scene, and there were indications he may have been homeless, but police have not identified any reason for the attack or said whether mental health issues, intoxication, a personal crisis, or any prior contact with officers played a role. Investigators are reviewing body-worn camera footage, preserving evidence, and conducting a preliminary investigation. Until that process is complete and officials release more findings, any explanation for why the bystander suddenly attacked would be speculative.

Q: What will the body-worn camera footage reveal about the fatal moments before the man charged officers in Palisades Park?

The body-worn camera footage is expected to show whether the man was holding a knife, how quickly he moved toward officers, how much distance separated them, and whether officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon before the shooting. Based on the information released so far, police say the footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation and should help clarify the final seconds: officers were at Palisades Park near the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue investigating an unrelated domestic violence call when a man in his mid-40s, not connected to that original incident, approached with a knife and charged. Police Chief Darrick Jacob has said the man ignored repeated commands to drop the knife and continued advancing before one officer fired. The video may also reveal the officers’ positioning, whether de-escalation was attempted, how immediate the perceived threat appeared, and how much time officers had to react. A knife described by authorities as “rather large” was recovered at the scene. What the footage will not necessarily answer on its own is why the man charged or what led up to his approach before he came into the officers’ view. Police have not released a motive, and the man’s identity had not yet been publicly disclosed pending formal identification and family notification. In short, the footage will likely be central to determining whether the officers’ account matches the visible sequence of events in the fatal moments before the shooting.

3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Aug 23

A man in his mid-40s died at 1:49 p.m. after a Santa Monica officer shot him in Palisades Park near the pier, where police had responded shortly before 1 p.m.
Police Chief Darrick Jacob said the man was not part of the original domestic violence call but charged officers with a knife and ignored repeated orders to drop it.
Officers began life-saving measures before paramedics took him to a hospital, while the officer who fired and no bystanders were injured; police recovered a knife at the scene.
The area around the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue remained under investigation, with authorities asking the public to avoid it and reviewing body-worn camera footage.