Overview
- Video and witness accounts show a man in an SUV brandishing a baseball bat, chasing a Jewish couple on foot and then returning with a large dog that bit a victim in downtown Santa Monica on Sunday.
- Santa Monica police located the suspect a short distance away on Fourth Street and booked him on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.
- Los Angeles County prosecutors charged the suspect, identified as Nay Min Tar, with one felony count of criminal threats and one misdemeanor battery count, he pleaded not guilty and the court set bail at $2,500 after prosecutors sought $50,000.
- Detectives have collected witness statements, social media and surveillance video and body-worn camera footage and have forwarded the case to the county DA as they determine whether a hate-crime enhancement is supported by the evidence.
- Animal control took custody of the suspect’s Cane Corso, the injured victim received minor on-scene treatment, and the episode has intensified local concern about safety near the Third Street Promenade and prompted outreach from groups including the ADL.