On November 2, 2022, at approximately 2:43 PM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers were dispatched to the Lot 1 North Parking Lot at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway to check the status of a male inside a vehicle that appeared to be deceased. When officers arrived on scene, they confirmed the subject to be deceased with stab wounds to his upper body.

SMPD Robbery & Homicide Detectives were assigned the case. Further investigation revealed the suspect to be Mohamed Abou-Arabi, a 22-year-old male from Michigan, who is known to the victim. After the homicide, Abou-Arabi fled back to his home in Dearborn, MI. SMPD Detectives worked in conjunction with the Dearborn Police Department to obtain additional evidence connecting Abou-Arabi as the suspect in this homicide. The evidence was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office – Airport Court and a felony complaint for extradition arrest warrant was filed for Abou-Arabi.

SMPD Detectives responded to Dearborn, MI, and worked with the Dearborn Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force to arrest Abou-Arabi. A search warrant was served at his home where additional evidence was collected. Abou-Arabi was extradited from Michigan to California on January 18, 2023, and he was booked at the SMPD Jail for 187(a) PC - Murder.

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Back in August 2021, a mother and her baby where hit by a car that fled on Speedway in Venice Beach. The 15 year old driver of the car was stopped by another driver right after. ⁠

It was later revealed that teen hit-&-run driver was on drugs when he ran over the mother and her baby.. And when he pleaded guilty to the hit and run, he was only given 5 months of diversionary camp as punishment. Which pissed off a lot of people, especially since he was already on felony probation for poisoning a high school girl's drink at the time of the hit-and-run. ⁠

"Someone with a criminal record tried to kill me and my son, and George Gascon thinks that five months of camp is a sufficient punishment," the mother who he hit said. The mother eventually moved her family out of Los Angeles to get away from what she has described as "soft-on-crime policies." ⁠

Flash forward to this week, authorities have identified a teenager who was fatally shot in Palmdale Wednesday night as 17-year-old Kristopher Baca of Palmdale, the driver of the hit-&-run in Venice Beach. ⁠

Witness stated Kristopher had been at a fast food restaurant earlier trying to "get with a girl." ⁠

"As he walked home alone, a car pulled up next to him and an argument broke out. Someone in the vehicle opened fire, then sped off."

"The universe delivered the justice we weren’t given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he’d have been dealt in a court of law," the mother, who asked only to be identified as Rachel told news reporters.

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works sanitation workers in white hazardous materials suits, with Clean Harbors Hazardous Waste Management team, clean-up homeless encampments at Venice Beach on Friday, January 20, 2023. LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) provided homeless outreach. Park Rangers were onsite during the cleanup. The Venice Beach clean-ups are conducted every Friday."

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

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Pictorial History of Venice, California, Coastal Beach community and suburb of Los Angeles. A documentary by Tom Sewell, a long term resident of Venice, Ca.

Daily Venice Pier Surf Reporter Glenice Venice was guest on KCRW this week. He talked about the recent swell, the poor regional water quality after the heavy storms, and more.

Listen to the podcast below:



Glen photographed by Darya Alexandra for T2TR Clothing

Malibu Library Speaker Series
Tuesday, January 31, 7:00 PM at the Malibu Library 

Dr. Douglas McCauley, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, willDr. Douglas McCauley standing next to a surfboard provide a brief history of human use of our seas and will share a view of what the future may bring for our oceans. The discussion will include the explosion of new activity in the blue economy and the effects of wildlife and extinction in our oceans. Learn how we can leverage the power of exciting developments in ocean data and technology to shape what the future of this new Marine Industrial Revolution becomes.

Professor McCauley’s work on oceans has been featured in the New York Times, National Public Radio, and Time. He has researched topics ranging from manta rays, to bumphead parrotfish, to shark spotting drones, to AI for whales. He is a Sloan Research Fellow in the Ocean Sciences and a member of the World Economic Forum’s ocean team.

For more info and to register, Click Here

Ocean & beach hazards will continue for most of the week, mainly due to very high tides of 7-7.8 feet, peaking this weekend. Coastal flooding could occur, with sea water moving over some low lying areas near the beach.

Welcome back, y'all! Join us for our first public beach cleanup of 2023 at the Venice Fishing Pier for a beautiful winter morning spent with your local environmentalist community. We will be meeting from 10am-12pm to get our toes in the sand and trash off of our shorelines.

Vibes will be high as we get together for our first beach cleanup north of the Venice Beach Pier and celebrate our work at an afterparty hosted by @arborvenice

What you can expect:

Cleanup from 10:00am-12:00pm at the Venice Pier! Spot us underneath the big blue Surfrider tent.

Waste sorting and Q+A with friends from @athensservices

Afterparty at Arbor Venice from 12:00pm-2:00pm for participants who attend the cleanup. Tacos, beverages, and an opportunity drawing will be part of the fun! Remember to bring your reusable water bottle, and reusable plate & utensils.

You in? Be sure to RSVP at the link in our bio to let us know you’re coming!

Sun, Jan 29, 2023
10:00AM-12:00PM

For more info and to register, Click Here

Join us at the Santa Monica Pier once a month for a curated series for locals. Gather your friends and family and head down to the Pier for amazing entertainment including youth activities, a car show, local DJs and live music from local bands, art exhibits, and so much more! You really won't want to miss out on this incredible and unique outdoor setting to unwind with friends and loved ones all while celebrating Santa Monica.

January 19th, 3 - 9PM






And much, much, more..... Click Here