Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Detectives are investigating an armed robbery involving a shooting that occurred on November 15, 2021.

On Monday at about 2:00 PM the victim involved in this incident parked his vehicle in the 2600 block of 34th Street when a black sedan stopped in front of him. The front passenger of that vehicle walked to the victim’s vehicle, pulled out a handgun and demanded the victim’s cellphone and wallet. Fearing for his life, the victim gave him both.

The suspect returned to his vehicle and fled. The victim followed behind the suspects and while traveling eastbound on Pico Blvd the suspect leaned out the passenger side window and fired multiple rounds at the victim. The victim continued to follow until the suspects were last seen driving eastbound on the I10 freeway on-ramp at Centinela Ave.

Suspect Vehicle: Newer black Nissan Versa (or similar) 4 door sedan with dark tinted windows, black and chrome wheels

Suspect 1: Passenger - Male White or Hispanic, late twenties, straight shoulder-length brown hair, brown or grey eyes, wearing a hoodie and a black bandana that covered the lower half of his face

Suspect 2: Driver – Unknown

Anyone with any information pertaining to this incident, the suspect or vehicle involved, is strongly encouraged to contact Detective Tavera at 310-458-2256 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310- 458-8426.

The sand berms are back in Venice Beach for the winter storms. Photo by Jonathan Alcorn

Winterlit returns to Downtown Santa Monica to brighten up the holiday season as Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) transforms the world-class Third Street Promenade into an immersive one stop holiday experience.



Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) brings the holidays to the Third Street Promenade with the return of Winterlit, transforming the downtown district into an immersive, festive experience. Tens of thousands of colorful lights, decor and garland will deck the Third Street Promenade, 2nd and 4th Streets, illuminating convenient shopping and cozy outdoor dining experiences.

Santa comes to the Promenade on Friday, November 19 at 6 p.m. for the annual lighting of the official City of Santa Monica 24-foot-tall holiday tree. Performances by Samohi Madrigals, Lincoln Middle School Madrigals, Santa Monica Youth Orchestra Mariachi Perla del Oeste, and Santa Monica Youth Orchestra Chamber Ensemble.



Nightly menorah lightings will celebrate the Festival of Lights during the Hanukkah season from Sunday, November 28 through Monday, December 6. The lighting of the menorah will begin at sundown and take place on the 1400 block of Third Street Promenade (located between Santa Monica Blvd and Broadway).



For a one-stop holiday shopping destination, the Conscious Night Market will be on the Promenade, Saturday, December 4 from 4 – 9 p.m. hosted by Fit Girl Club LA. The pop-up artisan market features unique goods from over 40 local vendors, elevated and sustainable brands in addition to live music and free kombucha. The SoCal Etsy Guild comes to downtown for two dates: Saturday, November 20 and Saturday, December 18 from 2 – 9 p.m., featuring local Southern California-based artists, crafters and designers. Shoppers can support local businesses while finding something for everyone on their gift list.

Steps from the Promenade, Santa Monica Place will offer an array of festive activities for the whole family to enjoy this holiday season. Santa Clause will be in town and available for photos November 19 through December 24. Visitors and shoppers can also catch special performances by the dancing sensation, Santa Monica Beach Belles, and the 14-foot larger-than-life Snow Globe. Bring your furry friend to a special pet night and "sit" for a photo with Santa on December 15 and 16. Visit SantaMonicaPlace.com for more information.

Fire fighters put out a small brush fire on the ocean side of PCH east of Topanga Canyon today. It's that area were near Topanga where all those RVs have taken up residency. The "cause of the fire is under investigation".

Dense fog is quickly developing, and should push into coastal sections this afternoon and evening. Visibilities well below 1 mile are expected

Live conversation with Tim from the Mighty Under Dogs

The Mighty Under Dogs is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to the recreational rehabilitation of participants by exposing them to adaptive surfing taught by world-class instructors.

Video by Venice Gallerie

"This guy thought he'd skate away with the skateboard he stole, but two guys chased him down and got the board back."

Saturday, November 13th: 2-3’+ surf off combo of swells. Better summer/combo spots 4’+. Holding SSW swell as NW swell mix gradually creeps up through the day. Decent combo spots should see playful waist-stomach high surf for the small wave gear with focal points up to chest high at times. Light to locally moderate offshore wind early trends onshore through the morning, ahead of light westerly wind in the afternoon.

Sunday, November 14th: 3-4’ surf off combo of swells. Better summer/combo spots 4-5’+. Continued Southern Hemisphere energy (old SSW swell lingers as long period energy of a new SSW creeps in) and gradually rising NW swell mix. Decent combo spots should see playful waist-chest high surf with focal points up to shoulder high at times. Light to locally moderate offshore wind early trends onshore through the morning, ahead of light+ westerly wind in the afternoon.

Sign up for this year's contest at venicesurfathon.org.

Check out last year's contest: 27Th Annual Venice Surf-A-Thon Recap.