Man Stabbed, Others Struck with Fists, Chain in Fourth of July Attack

A woman's request for a cigarette touched off a chaotic attack on the Fourth of July that left several people suffering from a variety of injuries, the most severe belonging to a man who was slashed in the neck twice with a knife, according to a summary from the Santa Monica Police Department.

There were four victims and one witness in all, police said, in a group that was walking north on Santa Monica Boulevard heading toward Busby's on the 3000 block of the boulevard just after midnight on the Fourth of July. They encountered two men and two women standing near a silver vehicle, one of whom asked for a cigarette. One of the victims obliged, but the group was then asked by one of the men what neighborhood they were from.

One victim responded that they were from a city in the San Fernando Valley, and that answer was met with a sudden punch to the face from one of the male suspects, police said. The other male suspect then drew out a knife and threatened the entire group, while the other suspect punched someone else.
The group then attempted to flee, but the two male suspects -- which police determined to be twin brothers -- chased down one of the victims across Santa Monica Boulevard to the north curb, with the knife-wielding man slashing the victim's neck twice before being pushed away. Eventually, the wounded victim was hospitalized in serious but stable condition and was expected to fully recover, police said.

As for the two female suspects, they attempted to get into the silver vehicle, but the vehicle was blocked by one of the victims, a man, who told the pair to stay and wait for police. The two women then apparently attacked the man blocking them with a chain. They were detained when police arrived, and the twin brothers were found and apprehended in a alley near Santa Monica Boulevard. One of the brothers had the victim's blood on his hand. All four suspects were arrested and booked at the Santa Monica Police Department, the report states.

The twins' charges include attempted murder, according to SMPD, and the women have been charged with assault and battery.