Tag: homicide

SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, November 19, Lt. Erika Aklufi of the Santa Monica Police Department indicated a suspect involved in a September 6 homicide has been arrested. The incident was reported on September 6 at 5:50 p.m. on the 1100 block of 6th Street, alley east.

The SMPD reported on September 6 the SMPD Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) officers received a radio call of a person lying on the ground in the 1100 Block of Alley 6. When officers arrived, they discovered a deceased male in his 30s with one stab wound to the upper chest area. Two detectives were designated as the handling investigators and several other from the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) responded to assist. As a team, CID gathered evidence, video footage, and witness statements throughout the day.

After an extensive and thorough investigation, detectives determined the suspect worked in a building adjacent to the incident. Arrested was Sebastian Emil Gaston, 36, of Los Angeles.

Detectives presented the case to the Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney who believed there was enough evidence to file the murder charge. An arrest warrant was issued for Gaston who was subsequently taken into custody on November 7 at the Santa Monica police station.

During his interrogation, Gaston admitted to the murder as well as a previous assault in July. Gaston remains in the custody of the LA County Sheriff’s Department pending trial.
Anyone with details about Gaston or the stabbing is asked to contact Detective Kayondo at lawrence.kayondo@santamonica.gov, Sergeant Lozano at alfonso.lozano@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander 24 hours a day at 310-458-8427.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—On Friday, September 6, the Santa Monica Police Department announced they are investigating a homicide that transpired.

The SMPD indicated on its Facebook page that they discovered a male victim, believed to be homeless, who was found dead from an apparent stab wound in the alley near the 1100 block of 6th Street.

At this time, no suspect is in custody, and authorities are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying and locating the individual(s) responsible. The name and age of the victim has not been disclosed to the public.

“We recognize that our community has recently been impacted by several violent crimes and understand the heightened concern these incidents cause. We want to reassure the community that the safety and well-being of our residents remain our highest priorities. Our team is working diligently to identify the suspect(s), and a strong police presence will remain in the area as the investigation continues,” the SMPD said in a statement.

“We understand the recent violent crimes have caused significant concern, and we want to reassure the community that the safety and well-being of our residents are our top priorities. Our team is working diligently to identify the suspect, and there will continue to be a strong police presence in the area as the investigation continues.”

Anyone with details on the fatal stabbing is asked to contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 310-458-8491.

By Trevor

LAUREL CANYON—On Tuesday, August 6, the Los Angeles Police Department reported Valley Bureau Homicide detectives are seeking details from the public regarding a shooting in an apartment that left one person dead.

The LAPD reported on August 5, around 9:30 p.m., North Hollywood area patrol officers responded to a radio call of “shots fired” on the 5600 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Officers found the victim inside of an apartment, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene. Victim identification has been withheld pending next of kin notification.

Valley Bureau Homicide detectives responded to the location, and their preliminary investigation revealed that a shot was fired from a firearm in an adjacent apartment, which penetrated the neighboring wall, striking the victim.

Anyone with additional details is asked to call the LAPD, Valley Bureau Homicide, at (818) 374-9550. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—On February 14, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) released their annual crime report for 2023, with theft being the most prevalent of all the crimes committed. According to the SMPD webpage, if the criminal activity continues as it is now in the remainder of 2024, crime rates could easily surpass last year’s statistics.

On Tuesday, February 13, the Santa Monica City Council heard the updated crime statistics report from SMPD Chief Ramon Batista.

“One of the things we tried to do this year in addressing some of the concerns we had the three major parks was to make sure we had an increased presence in our public service officers and our downtown service officers,” Batista stated.

The takeaway from the report posted on X showed that SMPD received a total of 103,462, calls for service, with a 10 percent increase in police actions, and of those 18 percent of the calls, 18,939 were related to homelessness.

SMPD reported one murder in Santa Monica last year. SMPD Lieutenant, Erika Aklufi, reported the following homicide for 2024.

“On January 25 at approximately 10:25 AM, Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a call of Shots Fired in the 2600 block of 29th Street in Santa Monica. Officers located the victim of the shooting seated in his parked vehicle. The victim, identified as William Edwards III, a 46-year-old resident of Los Angeles, was transported to a local hospital in grave condition and died at the hospital. The motive for the crime is still being investigated.”

SMPD reported 45 documented rapes were reported in 2023. This is up from 39 in 2022. There were no reported rapes on the website for 2024.

In 2023, there were 460 reported aggravated assaults or what used to be referred to as assault with a deadly weapon. This figure was less than the year prior. There were no reports on the SMPD website for 2024.

There were 80 reports of arson in 2023, which was down from 86 in 2022.

SMPD reported 231 robberies in 2023, which was up from 222 in 2022.

Of all of the robberies and burglaries, strong armed robbery was the most reported crime.

On February 13, Lieutenant Aklufi reported the arrest of four young adults and one juvenile who were captured with the help of a K9 officer on attempted burglary charges after breaking into The Real Real located at 200 26th St.

SMPD responded to 569 incidents of grand theft auto.

Petty crimes or what SMPD refers to as, “Part 2 crimes,” include simple assault, trespassing, public intoxication, vandalism, and other misdemeanor crimes. Of those, simple assault was the most prevalent with 859 cases reported. There were 730 cases of vandalism.

For 2024, the SMPD website shows multiple traffic related incidents, one of which was fatal. Reports of trespassing are also listed in the press releases on the SMPD website for 2024.

By Sharon

SANTA MONICA—On January 26, Lt. Erika Aklufi of the Santa Monica Police Department indicated in an email to Canyon News that a suspect has been arrested for a fatal shooting that occurred on January 25.

The SMPD reported on January 25 at approximately 10:25 a.m., officers responded to a call of Shots Fired in the 2600 block of 29th Street in Santa Monica. Officers located the victim in the shooting seated in his parked vehicle. He was identified as William Edwards III, a 46-year-old male from Los Angeles. He was taken to a local hospital in grave condition where he later died.

Witnesses who saw the suspect leave the scene, gave officers with her general direction of travel. Detectives worked tirelessly throughout the day to identify and locate the suspect who was taken into custody on Friday, January 26 in West Los Angeles. A motive for the shooting is still under investigation.

Arrested for the shooting is Kayla Denise Mackey, 27, who the SMPD indicated was experiencing homelessness. Her booking photo is expected to be released in the coming days per Lt. Aklufi.

The SMPD is asking anyone with information related to Mackey or the shooting to contact Detective Burciaga at George.Burciaga@santamonica.gov, Detective Sergeant Gradle at Ryan.Gradle@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.

By Trevor