2 Minors Charged With Assault After Santa Monica Metro Beating

SANTA MONICA, CA — Two minors were arrested on charges of assault after they were seen beating a man with their skateboards on a Santa Monica Metro E-Line train, police announced last week.

According to the Santa Monica Police Department, the incident happened on April 19 at 11:24 after a confrontation on a westbound E-Line escalated into an attack on the rail platform at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue. When officers arrived at the platform, they treated a man with multiple cuts and bruises after he was beaten by multiple people.

"The victim and witnesses were able to describe the suspects and direction of travel and they were soon taken into custody without incident," SMPD said in a statement.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office filed assault charges against two minors who officers said were seen striking the victim with their skateboards. Both suspects were taken to the police station, processed and released to their parents or guardians per county rules relates to youthful offenders, SMPD said.

At the time of the Santa Monica incident, there were multiple reports of attacks on Metro trains or stations throughout the county. Just days before the Santa Monica attack, on April 12 a man died after he was beaten and stabbed multiple times on a Metro train in Long Beach.

According to a CBS report, violent crimes such as assault, murder, rape and robbery rose 24 percent since 2021. According to Metro data, there were 21 deaths reported on Metro buses and trains in 2022, and in just the first three months of 2023, there have been 21 deaths across the transportation system.

Metro officials told CBS that most of the deaths this year were from suspected overdoses.

Anyone with information about the Santa Monica incident was urged to contact SMPD Criminal Investigations during business hours at 310-458-8451.