Victim speaks out after homeless man allegedly attacks three in Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A woman is speaking out after she was one of three people attacked by a homeless man in Santa Monica Monday morning.
Video taken by Santa Monica Closeup showed police responding to the scene near the Santa Monica Pier around 9:45 a.m. Monday.
According to police, 31-year-old Jawann Garnett was arrested and is accused of assaulting three women, while attempting to rob at least one of them. Garnett also allegedly grabbed a woman by her hair and pulled her into the water.
"He had no humanity in his eyes whatsoever," said Jenna Wilker.
Wilker said she is currently homeless but hoping to find a job. She says she witnessed Garnett tackle the first woman, so she jumped in to try and help her.
"Then, he turned his focus towards me," said Wilker. "Strangling me and trying to bite my ear off. He ended up getting off me and attacking the third victim, trying to drown her in the ocean."
Just in the last month in Santa Monica, FOX 11 has reported on a 73-year-old woman who was pushed over on Ocean Front Walk, two tourists who were stabbed on the Third Street Promenade, and a woman grabbed by the ponytail and dragged towards a bathroom. All of the arrested suspected were homeless.
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"No, I don’t feel safe," said Wilker. "I’ve had to fight 11 times for my own safety and now once for somebody else’s."
According to Wilker, she met her attacker the night before and gave him a cigarette. However, she claimed he was looking for meth.
Wilker believes the beach in Santa Monica is getting more dangerous by the day. She attributes this to drug use.
"You have meth as a misdemeanor," said Wilker. "Everybody is able to do it. Everybody is getting their hands on it, nobody cares about the consequences anymore."
Garnett has a criminal history and is a registered sex offender.