An arrest has been made in the attack by a homeless person on a 6-year-old girl in Santa Monica on Sunday.
The alleged attacker, later identified by the Santa Monica Police Department as Ahsante Lamar Morgan, 23, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department “after another incident in Venice and is currently in their custody,” the SMPD said on X, formerly Twitter.
The child and her family were visiting California from the East coast when she was attacked on Main Street after she exited an ice cream shop.
The man suddenly struck the girl in the face and knocked her to the ground, and Christina Tullock, a family friend who was showing the visitors around, said “it was awful.”
“I was afraid he was going to hit her again,” Tullock said. “I was afraid that my friend was going to get hurt protecting his kid. I picked her up and we ran as far away as we could get quickly.”
SMPD officials say they are working with the LAPD “to present our consolidated cases to the LA County District Attorney, aiming for a swift filing of felony child abuse charges.”