A homeless man accused of attacking two women and a 17-year-old girl on the beach in Santa Monica pleaded not guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and other counts.
Jawann Dwyane Garnett, 31, allegedly attacked the teenage girl and then assaulted a 25-year-old woman who tried to intervene in the June 24 attack, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Immediately afterward, he allegedly grabbed a 72-year-old woman and dragged her to the ocean, where he allegedly pushed her head into the water several times, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
All three victims were injured, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Garnett was arrested around 9:45 a.m. that day on the beach in the area of 1300 block of Ocean Front Walk, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Garnett is charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count each of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, assault with intent to commit a forcible sexual assault and kidnapping, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The criminal complaint alleges that Garnett has a 2022 conviction for assault and was on probation at the time of the crimes.
Garnett has remained behind bars since his arrest, according to jail records.
Garnett is due back July 29 at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to require him to stand trial.