6-year-old girl attacked by homeless man in Santa Monica

A family remains shaken up after a homeless man attacked a 6-year-old girl while knocking her to the ground in Santa Monica. The girl’s family, who was visiting California from the East Coast, was walking along Main Street on March 10 when the attack happened. As the family exited an ice cream shop, the suspect, who was sitting at a nearby bus stop, suddenly approached them. Without provocation, he struck the young girl in the face and knocked her to the ground. “It was awful,” said Christina Tullock, a friend of the girl’s family who had been showing them around town. “I was afraid he was going to hit her again. 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.” Tullock was able to take a picture of the suspect on her phone as she called the police for help. She believes he was homeless and experiencing a psychotic episode at the time. KTLA's Rachel Menitoff reports on March 12, 2024.