Police Shoot and Kill Man Near SM Pier

Two people were shot, one fatally, by police near the Santa Monica Pier over the weekend.

By Holly Bieler · August 24, 2026 · Santa Monica

A man was shot and killed by Santa Monica police on Saturday afternoon, after he allegedly charged at officers with a knife in Palisades Park, [ABC7 is reporting](https://abc7.com/post/policia-mata-tiros-hombre-armado-con-cuchillo-cerca-del-muelle-de-santa-monica-dice-el-departamento/19720206/).

It was the beginning of a violent weekend for the city's busiest tourist district. Roughly 30 hours later, another person was shot just blocks away, after an attempted robbery near the pier turned into a shooting.

Saturday's shooting played out in front of hundreds of beachgoers and tourists on Ocean Ave., just steps from the Santa Monica Pier.

Officers had been called to the 1400 block of Ocean Ave. shortly before 1 p.m. for a reported domestic violence incident. While they were interviewing a witness, a man with no connection to the original call ran at them holding a knife, according to police.

The man ignored repeated commands to drop the knife and continued to advance, Police Chief Darrick Jacob said at a news conference following the shooting. An officer then fired a single shot, striking him.

Officers and Santa Monica Fire paramedics performed lifesaving measures at the scene before the man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:49 p.m.

He's been described only as a man in his mid-40s. His name is being withheld until his family has been notified, and police haven't said what they believe led him to charge at officers. A knife was recovered at the scene.

Neither the officer nor any bystanders were injured. Portions of the park were closed for several hours as investigators collected evidence, and the investigation will include a review of body-worn camera footage.

Then on Sunday evening, around 7:50 p.m., a group of people approached a person near the pier and tried to rob them, [the Los Angeles Times is reporting](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-24/santa-monica-pier-robbery-shooting). The attempted robbery escalated into an altercation, and someone in the group pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the leg.

The group fled on foot. The victim was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and police are still searching for the suspects.

The violence comes after what had been a quieter stretch for the city. Santa Monica saw violent crime and burglaries decline more than 12% in 2025, according to the police department's [annual report](https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/2025-annual-crime-report-operational-shift-and-measurable-outcomes), with robberies down 24%.