Oral arguments are expected today in a significant case as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office seeks to overturn a judge’s decision that granted mental health diversion to Job Uriah Taylor, a homeless man accused of a violent, racially charged assault in Santa Monica in 2023. The case gained attention after Superior Court Judge Lana Kim ruled on March 12 to allow the 27-year-old to enter the county’s diversion program instead of facing trial.
According to a City Of Santa Monica press release about the incident:
“On Friday, March 3, 2023, at approximately 7:30 AM, SMPD patrol officers responded to a call of an attempted assault in the 1100 block of the beach. The suspect, later identified as Job Uriah Taylor, approached the African American victim who was walking his dog and threatened to attack him with a metal pipe. Taylor yelled several racial slurs at the victim. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel working nearby intervened, fending off suspect Taylor who rode away on his bicycle in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured, and officers were initially unable to locate Taylor.Soon after, at about 7:50 AM, the Police Department responded to a call of an assault happening now on the north side of the train platform at 4th Street and Colorado Ave. The same suspect was seen attacking a male and female, both African American, with the same pipe he was brandishing at the 1100 block of the beach. Taylor hit the victims multiple times in the head while yelling more racial slurs. Taylor was taken into custody at the scene and transported to the Santa Monica Jail for booking.Taylor was charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. In addition, hate crime allegations were added to the two counts of attempted murder and the assault with force. Two victims were transported to the hospital; one released the same day and the other still being treated for a head injury.”
According to the Santa Monica Daily Press:
“The vicious and unprovoked attack was the last of three committed by Taylor over the course of about an hour and while the other two victims escaped with less severe injuries, the final victim, Christian Hornburg (64), was confined to a wheelchair and will require support services for the rest of his life.”
Prosecutors are appealing to the California Court of Appeal, aiming to vacate Judge Kim’s decision. The DA’s office argues that the nature of the alleged crime warrants a trial rather than diversion, which is typically reserved for defendants with mental health issues who are deemed suitable for rehabilitation outside the traditional criminal justice system…