Man Arrested For Racist Rampage In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — A man was arrested in Santa Monica this week after police said he attacked two Black people with a metal pipe and yelled several racial slurs at them and another Black person on the street, officials announced Friday.

On March 3 the Santa Monica Police Department received a report of an attempted assault in the 1100 block of the beach at 7:30 a.m. According to officers, the suspect Job Uriah Taylor approached a Black man who was walking his dog and then threatened to hit him with a metal pipe and yelled racial slurs at him.

Taylor rode away on bicycle after Santa Monica Fire Department personnel intervened, SMPD said. The victim was not injured and officers said they were unable to locate Taylor initially.

That was until they received another report just 20 minutes later about an assault at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue. When officers arrived, they said they witnessed Taylor hitting two more African American people multiple times in their heads with the metal pipe he threatened the previous victim with and yelling more racial slurs.

Both victims were transported to the hospital where one was released in the same day and the other was still being treated for a head injury.

SMPD officers arrested Taylor and booked him into the Santa Monica Jail and he was later charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. SMPD said hate crime allegations were added to the two attempted murder charges and assault with force charge.

"It is the mission of the Santa Monica Police Department to safeguard the rights of all individuals irrespective of their disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and/or association with a person or group with one or more of these perceived characteristics," SMPD said in a statement.

Anyone who may have witnessed either incident or have information were urged to contact detective Jacob Holloway at 310-458-8934 or via email at Jacob.holloway@santamonica.gov. The Watch Commander is open 24-hours and can be reached at 310-458-8426.