A man suspected of brandishing a baseball bat and yelling threats in the middle of an intersection near the Third Street Promenade, and whose dog allegedly attacked a pedestrian, was taken into custody, police announced Wednesday.
Officers responded at about 5:20 p.m. Sunday to the area of Third Street and Broadway regarding reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Police said the suspect, later identified as Tar Nay, was driving on Broadway but stopped in traffic and began yelling threats at two individuals who were crossing the street. Nay displayed a baseball bat from inside his vehicle, but then exited and chased one of the pedestrians while continuing to make threats, police said.
The suspect’s dog, a male Cane Corso, also chased the victim and bit him on the thigh, police said. Santa Monica Animal Control officers arrived at the location and took the dog into custody.
Police said officers had located and detained Nay a short distance away on Fourth Street, noting that multiple witnesses provided statements and video evidence from the area was collected as part of the investigation.
A bystander, Benjamin Basire, posted video on Instagram and said in a post that the pedestrians who were targeted by the suspect were friends of his. He wrote that the couple were walking together when they were attacked “by an antisemitic pro-Palestinian individual.”
“This is globalization of intifada many of you been chanting on our campuses. Hard to believe this is Los Angeles. At least not the same LA that I know,” Basire wrote.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel treated the victim at the scene for minor injuries related to the dog bite, requiring no additional medical assistance, police said.
Nay was booked into the Santa Monica Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats. It was unclear if the criminal threats were being investigated as a possible hate crime or if the couple was Jewish, as indicated in some media reports.
The motive for the attack and criminal threats was being investigated, with detectives reviewing statements and video evidence to determine whether additional charges or allegations are warranted, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the attack or investigation was urged to contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 310-458-8427.
“At this stage, the charges reflect the evidence developed in the initial investigation. The case has been submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration,” police said.