A Santa Monica police officer was hospitalized with multiple stab wounds after an unprovoked attack by a man outside the police department headquarters on Saturday afternoon. The assailant was subsequently shot and killed by the officer he stabbed, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
The incident occurred shortly after 5:20 p.m. on the 300 block of Olympic Drive, as reported by KTLA. The police officer, who was in the process of speaking with a citizen, was approached by a suspect identified as a man in his 30s. When the officer asked the suspect to wait, the suspect unexpectedly and without warning pulled out a large knife and attacked the officer, Chief Ramon Batista said in a press conference.
Trying to quickly get to safety, the officer backed away and armed himself with his weapon, while the assailant continued to follow him around the corner of the building. As per the account provided by NBC Los Angeles, it was there that the officer-involved shooting took place. Despite the efforts of responding officers to provide medical aid, the suspect was pronounced dead after fire department personnel arrived on the scene.
The injured officer was quickly taken to a nearby hospital by his colleagues, where he was treated for serious stab wounds. "It is my hope that he survives these injuries," Chief Batista told CBS News Los Angeles. The officer's condition is stable and he is expected to survive. The name of the officer, said to be around 35 years old, has not been released.
An internal investigation into the shooting will be conducted by the Santa Monica Police Department, along with a separate investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Police Chief Batista expressed his dismay, stating, "I can't tell you enough how disappointed I am to see that this attack, unprovoked, occurred on our streets," according to ABC7. The police department has urged anyone with information to contact the Santa Monica PD Watch Commander desk at 310-458-8427.
