Police are investigating the death of a woman experiencing homelessness as a possible homicide after her injured body was discovered close to the ocean on Santa Monica Beach, authorities said. Beach maintenance personnel with the city reported the discovery of an unresponsive person near Lifeguard Tower 1550 in the 1500 block of the beach early Monday, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Police responded about 7 a.m. and found the woman in a sleeping bag with visible trauma to her face, police said. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. The victim’s identity has not been determined; authorities believe she was about 30 years old. The circumstances around her death remain under investigation, police said. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Det. Peter Zamfirov at Peter.Zamfirov@santamonica.gov, Sgt. Alfonso Lozano at Alfonso.Lozano@santamonica.gov or the watch commander at (310) 458-8427. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-10/homeless-woman-beaten-dead-santa-monica-beach

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Newly released bodycam footage shows a man violently attack and stab an officer with a knife outside a Southern California police station. The confrontation ends with the officer shooting and killing the suspect. The assault happened Oct. 5 outside Santa Monica police headquarters on Olympic Drive. Police say the officer was heading outside to talk to someone when the suspect showed up at the front door. During the encounter, video shows the officer ask the suspect what he had in his jacket. "What's in your jacket? I'm kind of nervous with your hand in your jacket like that," the officer tells the suspect. The suspect responds by saying "You're nervous?" and then lunges at the officer. "Without warning, the individual attacked the officer while pulling a knife from his clothing. The suspect slashed and stabbed the officer," police said in a statement. A struggle ensues and the officer fights back, video shows. He then fatally shoots the suspect. Prior to the stabbing, surveillance video shows the suspect had assaulted a Target employee inside a store and stole kitchen knives. The officer was taken to a hospital and released the following day. He was stabbed multiple times, but his protective vest helped him survive the attack. 

The Santa Monica City Council has asked staff to explore a nighttime curfew along the shoreline after a recent spate of violence has rekindled debate about the safety of the sand during overnight hours. At their Tuesday meeting, Mayor Lana Negrete, along with Councilmembers Jesse Zwick and Natalya Zernitskaya, requested that the City Manager and City Attorney investigate the possibility of establishing nighttime restrictions at Santa Monica State Beach in conjunction with various state agencies that hold sway over the shoreline. “I think it’s time for us to look at a curfew,” said Mayor Negrete, who emphasized that the move comes in response to a disturbing pattern of incidents over the past two years. “We’ve had everything from murders, rapes, and even accidental deaths.”