Santa Monica police officer stabbed, suspect shot to death
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Hearing that the police officer stabbed Saturday in Santa Monica was released from the hospital today, was good news to Janet McLaughlin who founded a Facebook Page called Santa Monicans Against Crime.
"Thank God," she said.
Her Facebook page and organization is all about pushing back on crime and violence.
This weekend, a Santa Monica police officer was stabbed with a large knife multiple times by a homeless man.
RELATED COVERAGE: Cop fatally shoots man who stabbed him outside Santa Monica police station
It happened near the front door of the police station. The officer fired back, killing the man, who was later identified as Deyaa Abdelhadi Halaibeh, 28.
The incident was upsetting to McLaughlin.
"I couldn't even sleep last night," she said. "It's so upsetting to all of us, not just me... We feel like if a police officer who is trained to deal with these potentially violent situations he's armed with a gun is standing outside the front doors of the police department can get stabbed multiple times, what chances do the rest of us have?"
John Alle knows the feeling.
"I was attacked at Palisades Park," he said.
It happened in September of 2023. Alle said the man came from behind.
"Broke my jaw in two places. A month later I had one brain surgery and after that I had another brain surgery."
As a result, he started an anti-crime organization here in Santa Monica called the Santa Monica Coalition.
To Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock, the police stabbing was terrible.
"Look at it... if our police can't be safe in front of the police station, then none of my residents are safe," he said.
Brock says Santa Monica needs more officers - and they're hiring.
He says they're budgeted for 232; they only have 214. He believes they could use around 280.
"But, the amount of mental health, the amount of drug abuse; the amount of insecurity from our residents; the amount of fear we've got to stop that," he said.
He said for 3 years he's tried getting the council to agree but adds that "it's a divided council."
"We have more mental health officers from the county on the streets of Santa Monica and whether you're homeless or housed you have to be accountable for your actions," he said.