Media Frenzy: Venice Canals Searched by News Crews Following Saturday’s Violent Attacks

DEBARYLIFE – Amidst a plethora of unacceptable crimes such as vehicle damage, theft of tools, break-ins, property theft, pick-pocketing at the beach, widespread homelessness, and out-of-control RVs, the LAPD revealed two occurrences from April 6th on Saturday.

In the 2700 block of Strongs Drive, a woman was struck by an unidentifiable blunt object from behind by a suspect who approached from behind, causing her to become unconscious, according to police reports made available to the public and released by the Venice Neighborhood Council (www.venicenc.org). An hour later, close to Sherman Canal, the same culprit attacked a second female victim, inflicting serious injuries on both.

One victim was from Massachusetts, and as of this writing, reports indicate that they are both reportedly in a coma.

Evidence was collected when the suspect left the area.

Once the second victim was found, neighborhood residents alerted the LAPD. Units from the Pacific Division arrived on the site and immediately got to work investigating. Black or Hispanic male with medium-to-dark features is the description given by the LAPD for the suspect.

Between 5’10” and 6′ in height and 180–200 pounds in weight, the suspect has been identified. His hair appears to be cropped close to his ears, giving him a short crop.

Locals are urged to recognize “the importance of personal safety” by the LAPD in this advisory.

The Venice neighborhood will see more LAPD patrols, and locals should anticipate seeing more black and white cars and uniformed police. This information is based on the community notice.

Furthermore, despite this most recent tragedy, the people of Venice continue to be resilient, even though many think that the city’s high rate of homelessness is the primary cause of the rise in general crime.

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Based on publicly available data, a crime happens in the 90291 Zip Code every 8 hours and 37 minutes. Without a home security system, the likelihood of a home invasion in the 90291 Zip code is 300% higher.

Venice receives a “C-” mark for violent crime and a “C” grade for property crime, according to www.crimegrade.org. The boardwalk is generally regarded as “empty and dark,” and more accurately put, sketchy, in third-party evaluations, which advise against visiting after sunset.

Thus, the property crime rate is somewhat higher than the typical US zip code, as indicated by the “C” grade. With a 39th percentile safety rating, 90291 is safer than 61% of zip codes and more hazardous than 39% of zip codes.

Not only is the number of people on the streets unacceptably high, but they are also dangerous and annoying, even when it is unknown if the suspect is homeless or not.

In the harsh reality, though, what measures are being taken to guarantee that this community, which generates income for the rest of Los Angeles, is adequately shielded from the neighborhood’s current woes, given that it is a popular tourist attraction with skyrocketing property values and rentals?

Shall we be prepared to guarantee that this 17-day worldwide spectacular proceeds without hiccups or injuries as Los Angeles gets set to host the 2028 Summer Olympiad?

How successful has this pilot program been in responding to non-urgent calls from the homeless, even though city officials have implemented CIRCLE, or Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement?

Even though it’s a good idea to make every effort to lessen the existing homelessness situation, is it reasonable to presume that the attack on these two women was either a one-time event or perhaps a more intricate instance of a specific attack on these individuals?

The police should be more visible along the beach, providing a deterrent and safety measure to prevent random acts of violence in one of the wealthiest areas. Regardless of the final result, Venice needs additional boots on the ground.

As this most recent episode demonstrates that more needs to be done to enable those who live here to witness firsthand a notable decline in homelessness and the number of RVs in Venice, some still give themselves pats on the back and cheer themselves on.

What is the timeline for sharing concrete facts and authentic statistics with the community to validate real progress?

I’m hoping that the 2024 Homeless Count, which is being held this year by LAHSA, will verify a change in the homeless situation around Los Angeles, not to mention in Venice.