Homeless Man Charged With Attempted Murder For Santa Monica Assault

SANTA MONICA, CA — A homeless man was arrested and charged with attempted murder for the assault of a man at Santa Monica Beach, according to police.

On Sept. 19, Santa Monica police responded to a report of a 28-year-old man being attacked from behind while fishing at the waterline.

"The strangulation attack was unprovoked, and the victim did not know the suspect. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his neck and was transported to a local hospital for treatment," the Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement.

Officers later located a man who matched the victim's description of the suspect and placed him under arrest. The suspect was identified as John Broeksmit, 31 from Illinois, who is believed to be experiencing homelessness.

According to SMPD, Broeksmit had prior arrests in California in 2024 for public intoxication, possession of a weapon on school grounds and tampering with a firearm. Most recently, he was arrested in Los Angeles on Sept. 15 for burglary and public intoxication, SMPD said.

On Sept. 23, the District Attorney's Office charged Broeksmit with one count of attempted murder and his bail was set at $2 million. Broeksmit remains in custody of the LA County Sheriff's Department, SMPD said.

Anyone who may have additional information about this incident or suspect was urged to contact Detective Zamfirov at peter.zamfirov@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.