Police overpower suspect with taser

By Lookout Staff

August 27, 2024 – A man who threatened hotel employees with a hammer Tuesday afternoon was subdued with rubber bullets and a taser after fleeing toward Santa Monica High School, according to an SMPD post on X.

The incident occurred around noon at the Hilton Santa Monica at 4th Street and Civic Center Drive, where officers responded to a 911 call.

The suspect “threatened hotel staff with a hammer” before fleeing toward Samohi 4th Street Breezeway, police officials said.

The suspect did not enter the campus, the post continued. “Fortunately, there were no students nearby,” it continued.

“Despite repeated requests, the suspect refused to drop the hammer and continued to make threats,” the post said. “Officers deployed a taser and 40mm projectiles to safely apprehend the suspect.”

According to the TASER website, the device fires two small barbed darts that pierce the skin and send an electric current through an attached cable.

The “electrical impulses temporarily disrupt the body’s command and control systems” and cause “neuromuscular incapacity,” the website says.

The 40mm projectiles used in the incident are non-lethal rubber bullets, typically used to disperse crowds and subdue aggressive individuals.

“The impact of a low-density projectile on the body causes blunt
Trauma that causes the affected person to become resistant to pain and thus changes their behavior,” says the Defense Technology website.

The Santa Monica Fire Department examined the suspect and transported him to a local hospital for further evaluation, per department policy, police said.

According to the post, charges of assault with a deadly weapon are still pending.

Police officials note that SMPD is in “constant contact” with the school district and that the Samohi Gate is locked during the school day.