A Lyft driver has been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger on a trip from West Hollywood to Santa Monica last year. The victim, whose identity has not been released, told the Santa Monica Police Department that 34-year-old Fernando Macias Morales of Los Angeles drove her home from a restaurant in West Hollywood on Sept. 7, 2023, police said in a release. The woman, a Santa Monica resident, fell asleep in the Lyft and "woke up to inappropriate touching," police said. "The suspect then offered to walk her to her door, which she refused," police said, adding that the woman ..read more

An arrest has been made in the attack by a homeless person on a 6-year-old girl in Santa Monica on Sunday. The alleged attacker, later identified by the Santa Monica Police Department as Ahsante Lamar Morgan, 23, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department "after another incident in Venice and is currently in their custody," the SMPD said on X, formerly Twitter. The child and her family were visiting California from the East coast when she was attacked on Main Street after she exited an ice cream shop ..read more

Santa Monica's iconic Ferris wheel has a new owner. On Thursday, Santa Monica Amusements, the operator of Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, announced it had been sold to an investment firm called SC Holdings. SC Holdings primarily operates in the entertainment and sports sphere and is an investor in Springhill, the entertainment company owned by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, as well as several Michelin Star-rated restaurants and professional pickleball organizations. Officials for SC Holdings say the private equity firm plans to invest more than $10 million into the amusement park ove ..read more

A family remains shaken up after a homeless man brutally attacked a 6-year-old girl as she was walking in Santa Monica. The girl’s family, who was visiting California from the East Coast, was walking along Main Street on March 10 when the attack happened.  As they exited an ice cream shop, the suspect, who was sitting at a nearby bus stop, suddenly approached them. Without provocation, he struck the young girl in the face and knocked her to the ground. “It was awful,” said Christina Tullock, a friend of the girl’s family who had been showing them around town. “I was afraid he was going to ..read more

A 27-year-old woman suspected in the deadly shooting of a motorist in Santa Monica last week was charged with murder Tuesday, police announced. Los Angeles resident William Edwards III, 46, was found seated in his parked car in grave condition following a shots fired report on Jan. 25. Edwards later died at a hospital. The suspect, identified as Kayla Delise Mackie, was located the following morning in West Los Angeles where she was taken into custody. Authorities searched for a female shooter after a man was shot and killed in Santa Monica on Jan. 25, 2024. (TNLA) Further investigation reveal ..read more

High bacteria levels have prompted Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials to issue ocean water use warnings for several area beaches. Officials say visitors to Latigo Shore Drive in Malibu and Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey should avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters for the entire swim area. In Santa Monica, the same warning applies 100 yards up and down the coast from the Santa Monica Pier, the Pico-Kenter storm drain at Santa Monica Beach near South Tower 20 and the Ashland Avenue storm drain near South Tower 28. "These warnings have been issued due to bact ..read more

Six Los Angeles County Starbucks stores may soon reopen after the National Labor Relations Board said the coffee franchise closed about two dozen locations to halt union momentum. As reported in the New York Times, a regional NLRB office determined that 23 U.S. stores were closed "because its employees engaged in union activities or to discourage employees from doing so." At least seven of those stores had unionized, the Times added, though the company said none of the Los Angeles locations were unionized. The local stores affected are: 8595 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood (the “Santa Moni ..read more

A suspect was arrested in Santa Monica after police allegedly found him strangling another man. The suspect was identified as Tamarquis Isiah Burke, 31, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Burke is believed to be a transient. On Dec. 1, officers responded to reports of an assault on the 200 block of Palisades Park around 8:55 a.m. Arriving officers found Burke “actively strangling” another man at the scene. The victim, who is also a homeless person, was heard pleading for help as police ran towards him. Burke eventually released the victim and was taken into custody. Witnesses tol ..read more

A local hospital is asking for help to identify two patients who were found unconscious in Santa Monica. The patients are described as a young man in his 20s and an elderly woman in her 70-80s, according to Providence Saint John’s Health Center. The patients have been admitted into the hospital’s ICU and staff are hoping to locate their family members. The first patient, a woman believed to be 70 to 80 years old, was found in an alleyway on Wednesday in Santa Monica. She was transported to Providence Saint John’s where she remains unconscious. She is described as standing 5 feet 5 inches tall ..read more

Four suspects were arrested after allegedly beating an elderly woman and stealing her purse in Santa Monica on Tuesday. The suspects were identified as: - Kejon Stevenson, 24 - Jacob Pugh, 19 - Two unidentified 17-year-old boys Santa Monica police responded to reports of a battery on the 1200 block of Lincoln Boulevard around 9:50 p.m. Arriving officers found a 79-year-old woman “suffering from a blow to the head and other injuries.” She was transported to a local hospital for injury treatment. The four armed suspects had taken the victim’s purse and drove away in a Kia sedan. The vehicle was ..read more