By Lookout Staff

March 14, 2024 -- A man suspected of assaulting a six-year-old girl in Santa Monica Sunday has been arrested by Los Angeles police following a similar incident in Venice, SMPD officials said Thursday.

The suspect has been identified as Ahsante Lamar Morgan, a 23-year-old man believed to be homeless, police said. He is currently in LAPD's custody.

"SMPD detectives are working with LAPD to present our consolidated cases to the LA County District Attorney, aiming for a swift filing of felony child abuse charges," said Lt. Erika Aklufi, the Police Department spokesperson.

There was no booking photo available at the time the information was released.

The assault in Santa Monica took place near the intersection of Main Street annd Marine Avenue at around 7 p.m. Sunday, according to police.

The suspect was sitting on a bus bench and "acting erratically" when the girl and her parents walked behind him, Aklufi said. "The suspect spun around and struck the child causing her to fall to the ground."

The child was not seriously injured, and the suspect "fled northbound on Main Street and out of sigh,t" she said.

On Wednesday, Police Chief Ramon Batista denounced the assault in a videotaped message, calling it "an affront to public safety ("Police Chief Addresses Assault on Six-Year-Old Girl," March 13, 2024).

Batista said detectives were "working hard to uncover more details of the incident and identify and apprehend the suspect."