Restaurant employee stabbed near Santa Monica Pier

Suspect sought after man stabbed in Santa Monica

Police are looking for the suspect who stabbed a restaurant employee in Santa Monica Sunday evening.

LOS ANGELES - A man was stabbed by a suspected homeless person Sunday evening near the Santa Monica Pier, as thousands of people crowded the beach for Labor Day Weekend.

What we know:

According to witnesses, the victim was a worker at Pier Pizza and Subs. Around 5 p.m. Sunday, he had been on break outside eating when someone came up from behind him and stabbed him multiple times.

The Santa Monica Close Up shared video with FOX 11 from Sunday’s incident. The victim can be seen receiving treatment from first responders. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

The attacker got away and, according to witnesses, is believed to be homeless.

What they're saying:

"The least we can do is give a travel advisory to the tourists that are coming," said John Alle from the Santa Monica Coalition. "It’s that bad."

"We’ve been here even as it gets late at night, usually there’s not much going on," said Lashana Lewis, a visitor to Santa Monica. "Most people are just kind of minding their own business."

Santa Monica restaurant employee stabbed

A man was stabbed by a suspected homeless person Sunday evening near the Santa Monica Pier.

Crime in Santa Monica 

Dig deeper:

The stabbing took place outside of the pizza restaurant, which was previously a Starbucks. In 2022, Starbucks closed the location near the Santa Monica Pier because of crime and safety concerns.

Two months ago, another man believed to be homeless was arrested in Santa Monica for allegedly shooting at police and kids in a Waymo taxi.

While last summer, another man who was living on Santa Monica streets was arrested for allegedly grabbing a woman jogging by her ponytail and dragging her towards a bathroom.

"We could curtail this with a little bit more of a police presence," said Alle. "That works."

Santa Monica police continue looking for Sunday’s attacker. Anyone with information should call the authorities.

"It’s so sad because in my country, where I’m born in Bulgaria, there’s no homelessness," said Violet Mileva. "This is a beautiful place. I love running here. I feel safe [and] I don’t carry pepper spray with me."