A Santa Monica city councilman was harassed by what appeared to be a homeless man on Sunday afternoon after telling him to throw out the flyers he had just torn off.
Phil Brock, a longtime Santa Monica resident, saw the homeless man tear up flyers and throw them on the ground.
The man, 20-year-old Sawyer Walden Allee, began spitting profanities at Brock, who himself went to collect the flyers and placed them in a nearby trash can.
At that moment, Allee approached Brock, who advised the homeless man not to continue. But Allee persisted, and when Brock turned to walk away, Allee threw him a warm, sticky liquid from a soda bottle.
Then he threw the bottle himself and kept screaming and screaming incoherently.
However, Brock was able to turn the tables and bring Allee to the ground and hold him until police apprehended the suspect.
The homeless man, 20-year-old Sawyer Walden Allee, began hurling foul language at Santa Monica City Councilman Phil Brock before throwing liquid at him and stealing his hat
The worrying incident came shortly after Downtown Santa Monica Inc.’s board of directors decided to go ahead with a plan to install a private security firm that will patrol Third Street Promenade — where the attack took place.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, Allee was arrested and charged with assault and grand larceny. His court date is scheduled for late August.
After being booked, Allee was committed to an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hospital stay.
When Allee sprayed liquid on Brock shortly after the confrontation, Brock and his partner dialed 911 and attempted to distance themselves from the insane man. But Allee followed them as they tried to walk away.
Allee finally ripped Brock’s white bucket hat off his head.
Brock later told the Santa Monica Daily Press, “At that point I was like, ‘I’m not going to let him steal my hat,’ and I kept telling him to give me the hat back, give me the hat back.”
“When I tried to grab it, he stumbled backwards and fell, and I ended up trying to grab him.”
Brock then called a nearby community ambassador to summon public safety officers from the community police station. The officers set out along with five units from the Santa Monica Police Department, who arrived minutes later.
“He was put in an SUV and taken away, and we made explanations.” Then we went home, a very sticky way home, because whatever he had in the bottle, it was like Gatorade, Coke, something really sticky and syrupy, we were covered in it,” Brock said.
“But we changed our clothes, got back in the car, went out to eat and went to the movies. We were not intimidated or dissuaded from returning to our boardwalk.”
Brock was attacked by a homeless man in Santa Monica over the weekend. He said the homeless issue must be addressed in the interests of Santa Monica residents and business owners
The worrying incident came shortly after Downtown Santa Monica Inc.’s board of directors decided to go ahead with a plan to install a private security firm that will patrol Third Street Promenade — where the attack took place
A detailed report on the plan to have a private company patrol the area is expected to be presented during the next council meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday.
Brock also stressed the council’s need to “compassionately” serve Santa Monica’s business owners and residents, as well as the homeless, and indicated that it may be time to address the issue more vigorously than in years past.
“After we had a chance to think,” Brock said, “my significant other felt that if it weren’t for me, he would have either gone into a store or maybe even attacked someone on the boardwalk.”
“Obviously I’d rather not be, but you know, if it’s a choice between a resident, a visitor or a salesperson who works in a shop, or me, I’d rather be me.”