By Jorge Casuso
January 21, 2022 -- A homeless man was arrested Friday after attacking an 83-year-old woman with ties to Councilmember Phil Brock on the street in the Mid City Neighborhood.
A half hour earlier, the suspect had stormed into a music store owned by Councilmember Lana Negrete and attempted to grab a female employee, according to witnesses.
Brock -- who along with Negrete has been pushing to intensify the City's efforts to take dangerous homeless people off the streets -- said the elderly victim in the first attack was his mother's neighbor.
According to an email from the victim's son shared by Brock, his mother was waiting to be picked up for a doctor's appointment when "she saw a homeless guy run across the street and he threw a beer in her face.
"She called him an ass and he came back and kicked her into the street causing her to fall and hit her head, hip and hand on the concrete," the email said.
"A car was coming and stopped quickly so thankfully she wasn't hit by a car too!!"
Some men at Tartine Bakery witnessed the attack "and ran and tackled the guy and held him down until the police came," the son wrote.
His mother, who was taken to the hospital for exams, plans to file criminal charges, he said. "Just wanted to let you know another incident in our city,” he added.
Brock, who said one of his own elderly neighbors was attacked by a homeless man Downtown on Sunday afternoon, shared the email with the following comment:
"Another senseless incident in our town. The constant barrage of outrageous incidents to our residents must be stopped.
"We have to find a way to utilize street services and increased mental health services. This must be our highest priority, in my view."
Negrete, who posted a security camera video on Instagram Friday night, said the suspect entered her family owned store, the Santa Monica Music Center, at around 11::15 a.m. yelling obscenities.
"An employee offered him a mask, and he started swearing," Negrete said. Then he tried to grab the worker, she said.
The Councilmember said one of her employees grabbed a music stand to fend the suspect off. The man eventually stormed out.
Shortly after the incident, Negrete went for lunch and noticed officers on the corner and learned an elderly woman had been attacked.
"This is insanity running our streets," Negrete said. "I'm just so glad they caught him. That woman could have been run over by a car."
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