By Jorge Casuso

August 25, 2026 – Santa Monica is boosting its police presence along the beach, Pier, Palisades Park and Downtown in the wake of two shootings this weekend, one involving a police officer, City officials announced Tuesday morning.

The added patrols will "provide residents, businesses and visitors with a visible, consistent public safety presence at key locations across the city," officials announced.

The widely publicized shootings took place Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. In the first incident, a Santa Monica police officer shot and killed a man who allegedly charged officers with a knife in Palisades Park.

Thirty-one hours later, a man in his 20s was shot in the leg during a robbery attempt near the ramp connecting the Pier and Downtown after he was approached by a group of individuals that led to an altercation, police said.

“Our responsibility is to protect everyone who lives in, works in, and visits Santa Monica,” said Police Chief Darrick Jacob. “That means being present, visible, and accessible.

"Our officers are on the Pier, in our parks, along the beach, throughout downtown, and in our residential neighborhoods, day and night," Jacob said. "That presence builds trust, supports safety, and allows us to respond when our community needs us.”

Police officials said Saturday’s officer-involved shooting is being investigated "consistent with established protocol, and the city will release body-worn camera footage of the incident within the next few weeks."

In Sunday's shooting, a juvenile suspect was taken into custody, and investigators are working to determine his role in the attempted robbery and shooting, officials said.

"Detectives are actively pursuing the remaining suspects, and additional arrests are anticipated," officials said in a statement Tuesday.

In addition to enhanced patrols, the City will conduct direct outreach to downtown and Pier businesses in the coming days "to hear concerns and share safety resources," City officials said.

Officers patroling the area will also be available to meet in person today from noon to 2 p.m. during Coffee with a Cop at Pacific Park at the Pier, where members of the public can "ask questions" and "be heard," officials said.

A second session will take place on Thursday from noon to 2 p.m. at the SMPD Downtown Substation at the Santa Monica Place mall Downtown.

“The events of this past weekend were unacceptable, and our community deserves to see how seriously we take our public safety responsibilities,” City Manager Oliver Chi said.

“That means swift accountability for anyone who commits violence here, more officers in the places where people gather, and meeting in person with our residents and businesses to hear their concerns," Chi said.

"Public safety is the foundation that everything else in our community rests on, and keeping Santa Monica safe is work we pursue together, every single day.”

Chi said the enhanced deployment "builds on sustained public safety progress in Santa Monica, where serious crime citywide fell 12.5 percent last year, and SMPD "is at full sworn staffing for the first time in more than 20 years."