A suspect has been arrested following a recent stabbing incident in downtown Santa Monica.

According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), 23-year-old Damian Garcia was located and arrested on October 23rd following an attack on a homeless victim at 5th Court and Broadway on October 16th. That night, around 7 p.m., SMPD officers answered a call of a bloodied man lying on the sidewalk, and officers discovered a stabbing victim upon arrival.

The homeless victim, a recent arrival in Santa Monica from Kentucky, according to SMPD, provided a general description of the suspect along with a possible first name. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was in serious but stable condition.

Garcia, who is also homeless and recently moved to Santa Monica from Florida, was identified through surveillance video and a subsequent investigation.

On Oct. 25, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon with serious bodily injury. Garcia, who remains in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was also taken into custody on a fugitive warrant from Florida and will be extradited.

Garcia’s criminal history, according to SMPD, includes assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of an inhabited dwelling, vehicle theft, armed robbery and resisting arrest with violence.

SMPD issued a statement after the initial incident, calling the stabbing “another unacceptable crime in the city of Santa Monica involving the intersection of complex societal issues of homelessness, substance abuse and dangerous weapons.”

The department said anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Det. Ben Jenkins at (310) 458-4884, Sgt. Chad Goodwin at (310) 458-8931 or the Watch Commander (24 hours a day) at (310) 458-8427.

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