A man suspected of hitting a 6-year-old girl in Santa Monica was arrested Thursday in Venice on suspicion of assaulting another child, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles police officers responded around 11:15 a.m. to the 1800 block of Ocean Front Walk, where a man described as homeless had allegedly assaulted a 7-year-old boy, according to LAPD spokesman David Cuellar.
Cuellar said the man, whose name was not released, was detained and booked as a suspect in the assault. The child's condition was unknown.
The incident comes just days after police said a man punched a 6-year-old girl while she was walking with her parents in Santa Monica.
Lt. Erika Aklufi, spokesperson for the Santa Monica Police Department, said the incident occurred at 7 p.m. Sunday near a bus stop at Main Street and Marine Avenue. She said the girl was with her parents, walking north on Main behind the bank, when the suspect turned around and hit the girl, causing her to fall.
Aklufi said the boy was not seriously injured.
The assault prompted Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista to deploy his Homeless Liaison Team, a group of police officers and mental health clinicians who deal with homeless people, as well as the therapeutic transportation, which responds to non-emergency calls in the city.
“An incident like this is an affront to public safety and will not be tolerated. Even more so that a child was involved,” Batista said. “Any crime committed in Santa Monica is an excessive crime; “Our department stands firm against anyone who decides to victimize those in this city.”
According to the LAPD, detectives from the Santa Monica Police Department are expected to take the lead in the case.
