woman Attacked A homeless man attacked her while jogging in Santa Monica, and witnesses say he grabbed her by her ponytail and tried to drag her into a public restroom.
The Santa Monica Police Department said they were called to the scene of the horrific incident at approximately 7:14 a.m. on May 13 near Lifeguard Tower 20 on Ocean Beach Walk.
“The victim, a resident of Venice, was jogging south on the coastal path when the suspect grabbed her by the ponytail from behind and slammed her to the ground,” police said in a statement.
“He then pulled her several feet toward the bathroom.”
Police said they found the alleged attacker and a woman near a restroom in Bicknell and took them into custody without incident.
The victim believed the man was planning to sexually assault her, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported. A witness reportedly intervened and called the police.
Police later identified the man as 48-year-old Malcolm Jimmy Ward Jr. and said he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon.
Ward was charged Wednesday with felony kidnapping, felony assault with intent to commit rape and violation of parole, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Local residents told KCAL-TV that violent crime has gotten worse in recent years.
“I’m glad people stepped up to help right away,” said Santa Monica resident Allie Trefts. “I wish more people would do that. It’s really amazing. What we need to do is help each other out.”
“I’m careful, I have a background as a psychiatric nurse and have some experience, so I probably don’t get as scared as others, but if people are hallucinating, I have to keep my distance. I know I have to put it down,” said another resident.
“Obviously people who assault others are not mentally normal and need help, but people who do it in broad daylight are just acting on impulse without thinking. ” Anna Meyer told KTTV-TV.
Police have released Ward’s photo to ask for the public’s help in identifying the other victims.
The woman’s age has not been disclosed. She suffered minor injuries in the incident.
The average single-family home in Santa Monica costs approximately $1.7 million according to On Reddit.
Here is a news video about this incident:
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