West Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies early this morning arrested a man for allegedly stabbing a women who was waiting with a friend for an Uber pickup on La Brea Avenue and throwing a knife at another woman on Santa Monica Boulevard.
The stabbing occurred near the intersection of La Brea with Lexington Avenue, between Fountain Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. That section of La Brea has been the focus of community concerns because of a stabbing death on the same block on March 4 and numerous reports of criminal activity near the McDonald’s restaurant there.
The deputies made the arrest at about 2.m. The man was described as a white male in his 20s. Lt. Darren Diviak of the West Hollywood Station said the man was speaking incoherently to the women before he stabbed one of them in the arm between midnight and 1:30 a.m. That woman was transported by the Uber driver to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Her condition is not known at this time.
Earlier in the evening, Diviak said, the man approached a woman walking alone and threw a knife at her, barely missing her. He picked up the knife and continued walking down Santa Monica Boulevard.
After learning about the stabbing, Sheriff’s deputies began an intense search for the suspect and were assisted by Beverly Hills police and Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood division officers. The suspect was positively identified by a witness after being detained at gun point.
The March 4 murder near the northwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue sparked complaints to the West Hollywood City Council from residents of the city’s Eastside and a promise by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station to step up patrols in the area. A transgender woman who had been dating the man who was killed was arrested on March 13 and has been charged with murder.
Capt. Sergio Aloma, who heads the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, has stepped up foot patrols on the city’s Eastside and also is increasing patrol car presence in the area.
While the stabbings have prompted many local residents to say they fear for their safety, data from the Sheriff’s Station shows that aggravated assaults – those that involve guns, knifes or other weapons – actually have been on the decline on the Eastside. Aloma such assaults were down 20% in 2017 over 2016. So far this year, aggravated assaults are down 23% over the same period last year.
This man is blond, not blonde.
What I want to know is whether the first incident wherein a knife was thrown was reported to law enforcement and what, if anything, law enforcement did. Clearly the guy stayed in the area and my point is that had law enforcement done what they are supposed to and arrested the guy after the first incident, the second incident wherein someone was actually stabbed would have been prevented. Also, where are some of your fellow commenters getting the idea that there were 2 suspects?
The source of the confusion over the “2 suspects” might have to do with the story also covering a “March 4 murder near the northwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue” that occurred prior to the March 22nd incident. They were both stabbings but, unrelated.
As to the response by Law Enforcement over the first incident on March 22nd over the thrown knife. The response over an alleged knife throwing where no injury occurred, is NOT going to have the same priority over a confirmed stabbing with an injury.
This area has been dodgy for as long as I can remember. I used to live near SMB and La Brea back in the late 70’s. and one practically tripped over the number of cheap male hookers and trannies. One would think that with all of the new, and expensive, rental units that have and are going up the city would address this issue. I think one problem is that this area of Weho is right at the edge of L.A. I’m as liberal as the next guy but this is intolerable.
Well most everyone I have encountered considers me significantly to the left to most liberals and, I feel that any rational person would find an unprovoked stabbing unacceptable. We need law enforcement to leave the Peace Activist alone and, focus their attention on violent crime. In addition we need to address one of the root issues of this problem. Gentrification at the expense of Public, Low Income, Affordable and, Section 8 Housing! By drastically raising the bar for housing without any remedies, a larger percentage of the population has now become homeless with considerable resentment. We need to see the… Read more »
All the housing in the world won’t stop the trans hookers. Many of these people do not want stability. They want to hustle and buy drugs. No one can force them into a job and housing.
Most “trans hookers” by definition would be employed as a prostitute with significant stability and, at rates that affordable housing would NOT be an issue for them! Also you will find that people with much greater socioeconomic status (SES) have an even higher rate of drug use but, lower rates of addiction. The stressors of belonging to a highly marginalized group is likely a major contributing factor. See the work of Dr. Gabor Maté a leading Psychiatrist in the area of childhood development and trauma, and in their potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, including on autoimmune disease,… Read more »
I am the victim that was stabbed in this article and I will have to say I am thankful for how fast the police responded to this-there wasn’t any other homeless people or anything out of the ordinary going on in that area at the time. Things happen unfortunately and I think the biggest thing I would say is I wish I would have been able to defend myself; I am definitely carrying pepper spray from now on. Be aware of the area you are in and be prepared if anything was to happen.
I would first off like to express just how sorry I am that this tragic event took place and, hope you recover from your injuries. I do NOT consider you a “victim” but, a courageous survivor instead! Many times Women and other oppressed groups are singled out for hate crimes by individuals with personal issues and, it is NEVER acceptable. This kind scapegoating builds conflicts, divides people and, diverts attention away from solving the root causes of our social problems. Please know that the people of West Hollywood are very kind people, even the vast majority of low income and… Read more »
Will someone add in 3 aggravated assaults and 1 murder within 3 weeks for the new statistics?
And please, folks, stop with the idea of shutting down McDonalds. That is beyond a naive approach. Do you think if you close bars early it will stop drunk driving? (and now WeHo is considering allowing bars to stay open until 4:00am)
Don’t worry, the system is NOT going to cover up crimes committed in West Hollywood or anywhere else especially if the victims are considered white. Now as for hate crimes against people of color, they are in full denial mode at all times! It’s not a matter of shutting down McDonald’s or any other corporate fast food giant selling nutritionally deficient laced with artificial flavorings and designed to get you hooked like crack. Just look at all the people with health problems related to ingesting their products who simply can’t quit. Let’s not forget the employees of these places subjected… Read more »
I’m so sick of these crazy trannies showing zero respect. They walk into Ralphs And are rude and feel entitled to steal anything they please! The city of West Hollywood has failed Us
The rest of the world is more concerned with the insane cisgender heterosexual white males in positions of power that have zero respect for humanity and, the planet. They own multinational corporations like Kroger and Ralph’s, are beyond rude when it comes to their feelings of entitlement when it comes to their pathological wage theft and union busting! It’s capitalism that’s failed us.
Please stop allowing ‘Eric Jon Schmidt’ to use Wehoville as his own personal campaign site. He dominates every discussion with lengthy commentary about the homeless and vilifies those who disagree with him as “homeless haters”. He must have a lot more free time than us working people.
I will not say another word about my campaign in my comments. it was not my intent to use WeHoville as my campaign site and I don’t believe I was. I’m sorry you read it that way.
I am retired, but I do 40 hours a week of volunteer work which is not a 9 to 5 schedule. most of it is during the night.
Don’t be bullied! You have every right to comment as a candidate for City Council or as a resident.
Some will agree with your comments and some not. Don’t be repressed! Speak your beliefs.
Eric, feel free to say what you want. I will say that I’ve noticed that you have certainly used this platform as a space to talk about your candidacy, a lot. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve grown a little tired of seeing you announce it, again and again, but that’s just me. You are up against entrenched members of the Council who have campaign contributions coming in left and right, from developers. It is tough to compete with them.
FYI-Lauren MEISTER is NOT an entrenched Councilmember. She is in her 3rd year of her 1st term. She also DID NOT take developer money for her campaign.
With fewer posts asking the Wehoville to deny me my 1st Amendment Rights, tells me I need to up my game here! 🙂
“Eric Jon Schmidt” is doing an excellent job defending vilified oppressed groups like the homeless, speaking truth to power always has consequences and, it’s good to see someone with the courage to do right thing and face the oppression from the establishment.
Now I’m NOT going to hold it against him for NOT being a paid internet troll working to promote the interests of those in power!
Thank you Cy
If West Hollywood & Los Angeles continues to coddle the homeless (mostly criminals, addicts, mentally ill psychos), more will come here from all over the country as word gets out of not only great weather but free everything for them. The cities won’t be able to handle the continuously growing problem & crime that comes along with it & taxpayers won’t want to keep paying for ridiculous schemes that won’t solve the problem. There are people who don’t want to be members of society & some live out in the desert by choice. Instead of planting the street people &… Read more »
Sherri Are you suggesting building facilities in the Desert for them with Air Conditioning or just dumping them in the desert? Hopefully, its not the later because that sounds very much like saying lets just exterminate them. Adolf Hitler felt the same way about Jews and Gays and Gypsies. It is very possible that you or someone you love could become homeless. No one should ever say: “That would never happen to me” I talk to the Homeless on skid row often and the stories about their lives are incredible. Many of them feel so badly about how they used… Read more »
Cooper, I am trying to be helpful. I am on your side. I will ask you the same thing I asked JJ who didn’t answer the question. What do you think should be done about the homeless? I want to help figure it out. That is one of the reasons I am running for City Council. Council members will not be in office for life as JJ states. There are term limits now. I am not soliciting any money for my Campaign, so therefore, I will owe NOTHING TO ANYONE. Being a City Council Member will be a Full-Time Position… Read more »
To answer your question Erik, the first step is acknowledging that the people that we are broadly labeling “the homeless” are not a monolithic group, and they fall into a few major categories. 1. Otherwise normal, functioning individuals who have had a run of bad luck and have fallen on hard times. 2. People who are on the street as a result of untreated mental illness. 3. People who are on the street as a result of major drug addiction. 4. Career criminals dumped out of the prison system as a result of AB109, Prop 47 & Prop 57 who… Read more »
JJ, Now your talking. I agree with you on many points. especially when you say: “So short answer to a big question, we need to build a network of statewide treatment/rehab facilities to treat the mentally ill and the addicts” I just wish you would have included one more group of people who ended up on the street because they lost their job, had no friends to help them, no family to help them. And I hope you would at least entertain the idea that the mentally ill are not at fault. It’s a disease. they have no control over… Read more »
Reality Check Here is a cold hard fact: There are 57,794 homeless people in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is an insurmountable problem. It has taken WeHo about 2 1/2 years to build a 22 unit facility on Detroit, 8 of those units are already spoken for by low income and disabled residents who were displaced by the project. So, how long will it take and where will the other necessary 57,772 units to house everyone in need, be built? Source: https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=1715-homeless-count-2017-los-angeles-continuum-of-care-fact-sheet.pdf For the time being I feel we must concentrate on getting the violent individuals and the criminal… Read more »
Though the problem of homeless people is hardly one of Nobel caliber, I would agree that that the people working to solve the problem would be deserving of the prize! Do consider that already far more money is currently being spent on individual law enforcement and military projects than what it would take to solve the homeless problem. The number of Empty Homes Outnumber the Homeless 6 to 1! How is this a difficult problem to solve?
Eric Jon Schmidt…if you’re running for something, don’t be so long-winded. People will be asleep by the end of your speech or answer to a question.
NO, he is making some very good points! Most people running for office only promote themselves with meaningless slogans. Given the very serious concerns many people including myself have, our attention is peaked when someone is willing to take on the issues.
Erik Jon Schmidt
The Campaign of
ME, MYSELF & I
By his own admission doesn’t know or speak with any city staff or city council members.
Good Luck as an “Amy of One” w limited scope.
There is no requirement of being besties with other office holders in order to get elected! He is doing a great job in covering the issues.
Thank you for the advise. please read my short platform on my Facebook page which is Erik Jon Schmidt for Weho
I will not say another word about my campaign here.
However the fact that I don’t know any current council Members is a plus for me.
Don’t be so naive. It’s a well proven fact that large numbers of homeless people and increases in crime in the same area are all too real…
Just exactly whose “proven fact” is that? The definition and publication of “crime” has consistently been narrowly tailored throughout history as to fit an unpopular oppressed minority group and, promote intolerance!
very good point Cy
This area is becoming more unsafe as the weeks go by. Yeah, they’ve stepped up foot and bike patrols, but the influx of homeless, drug addicts and mental cases has increased exponentially. Call me a hater, I don’t give a F but what I do want is a safer neighborhood, to be able to walk without fear after dark, and not see trannies on every corner.
If you care so much about the homeless, the transients, trannies and drug addicts, have them set up camp outside your home. How’s that for being a homeless hater.
This entire planet is becoming unsafe as weeks go by do to industrial emissions and, the whole sale repeal of regulations to curb them. And this is perhaps the single threat to the survival of the human species! A system failing to provide any social justice will see exponential increases in social problems as well. The last time I was robbed it was a cisgender individual, should I live in fear of them in the dark? Hatred of Transgender People is unacceptable and, completely unjustified! For a fraction of what is spend to incarcerate a significant percentage of the population… Read more »
I am happy to hear both suspects are in custody. I hope the victim is OK.
Both suspects may be homeless based on their behavior. Hopefully Wehoville can update the story as details become available.
Even if they are not, that doesn’t negate the problems associated with the homeless. Crimes, drugs, defecation, needles, etc… Perhaps you’re ok living among that, but I am not.
Calling people “homeless haters” is juvenile and misdirected. We have a right to want our streets safe & clean without being subjected to crack heads and crime.
So if the people custody happen to not fit the stereotype of the homeless you are promoting, you still feel completely justified in your narrative? Anyone who falls out of favor by those in power is at the very least in danger of becoming “homeless” or “refugees.”
joe:
Are you admitting to being a homeless hater?
And a tranny hater?
What proof do you have that he was on drugs?
Is it possible he has mental problems and not on drugs?
Is there any possibility that he does have a job?
Are you capable of knowing all that about him by just that one picture?
That’s amazing. You are incredible.
This is how you are running for City Council? By repeatedly commenting on WeHoVille articles and comments? You are not doing yourself any favors.
LOOK at the picture. Look at his eyes.
Calling people names is not the way to win votes, Mr. Schmidt. You’ve already guaranteed that I will not vote for you.
Telling people to say off our streets until their ride has arrived is surrendering to the criminal element That is unacceptable.