A homeless man attacked a Santa Monica city councilman who asked him to stop littering, in an incident that was captured on video.
While walking at the Third Street Promenade, a popular shopping and dining area, on Sunday, Santa Monica City Councilman Phil Brock noticed a homeless man ripping signs off boarded-up storefronts and tossing them on the ground.
Brock approached the man, identified by authorities as Sawyer Walden Allee, and asked if he could throw the signs away instead of littering.
Allee, 20, responded with obscenities, so Brock threw garbage out himself, KTLA reported.
“I saw a gentleman on the 1300 block of the promenade tearing signs off a storefront,” Brock said. “He was throwing them on the ground. As I walked by, I said, ‘Hey, can you put those in the trash can?’”
Santa Monica Councilman Phil Brock was attacked Sunday while on a walk. KTLAAs Brock began cleaning up the mess, Allee continued shouting obscenities in the councilman’s direction.
Soon after, he began trying to steal the hat Brock was wearing, video of the chaotic incident shows.
Allee also allegedly threw an unidentified liquid on Brock and his girlfriend, Kathryn, with whom he was on a walk.
Brock had asked the man to stop littering when he was attacked. KTLA
After Brock picked up the litter, Allee confronted him. KTLA“I turned to walk away. He took a bottle of some sort of liquid and threw it on me,” Brock said. “Made a second throw and doused Kathryn [his girlfriend] as well. We called 911.”
Soon after Brock called the cops, Allee tripped and fell over.
He was held down by Brock until officers arrived.
Video shows several officers standing over Allee as he is handcuffed on the ground.
Video shows that Brock held Allee down until the police came. KTLAAfter the troubling encounter, Brock said the city could use more help taking on the current homelessness crisis.
“We’re facing this tremendous burden ourselves,” he said. “Up to 1,000 homeless people on our streets every day. It’s impossible for us to have enough police, enough homeless street resources to assist properly.”
Allee had been released twice from Los Angeles County jail on felony charges days before the attack, which was his third felony arrest in almost three weeks.
Allee had been released from jail twice in about two and a half weeks before Sunday’s attack. KTLAHe is being held on a 5150 hold and was booked on charges of battery and grand theft.
A 5150 allows an adult who is experiencing a mental health crisis to be involuntarily detained for a 72-hour psychiatric hospitalization when they appear to be a danger to others or themselves.
