Stabbing on Santa Monica Beach occurred after a vendor sexually assaulted women, police said

According to police, a brawl on Santa Monica Beach in which one person was stabbed has led to charges being brought against four suspects. Today, police say it all started when a salesman allegedly sexually assaulted several women.

The fight on the sand on 29 June initially led to Five people arrested and two people were injured and taken to a nearby hospital, one of them with a stab wound and another with a possible broken ankle, authorities said. According to Santa Monica police, officers responded to multiple reports of the fight near Lifeguard Tower 14, just north of the pier, at 2:21 p.m.

Nearly a week later, the department announced that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had filed charges against four men – one of them a 30-year-old sales clerk who police said approached some beachgoers and sexually assaulted several women in the group. Police said some of the beachgoers then confronted Efigenio Tacuba and a fight broke out.

Tacuba then allegedly asked other traders for help, and according to police, several other traders allegedly armed themselves with umbrella poles, belts and at least one knife.

According to Santa Monica police, he is charged with three counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

The other three defendants are each charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, according to police. The suspects include Jorge Luis Cruz Murcia, 29; Samuel Manzanarez Hernandez, 39; and Oscar Samuel Hernandez, 47.

Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock said the stabbing was the second in the city that day and the area has been battling a recent wave of violent crime. “I’m in a crisis,” he said.

Only a few days earlier, a man on Santa Monica Beach tried Drowning of an elderly woman and attacked two others. In the weeks before, several other violent crimes were reported in the city, including a Bartender who died after a guest punched him and a man who had stabbed two people near the Third Street Promenade, which authorities said was a groundless attack.

Brock said he has asked the city council to allocate up to $3 million for emergency safety over the summer.

Police say more arrests are expected in connection with the June 29 incident. Investigators are still trying to piece together the exact incident and police are asking anyone with information – especially anyone with cellphone video footage – to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Holloway at [email protected] or the department’s 24-hour tip line at 310-458-8427. Anonymous tips can be forwarded to LA County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.