Police arrested a man accused of attacking another man with a samurai sword Thursday outside of a Venice apartment complex.
The Los Angeles Police Department took Justin Tucker into custody near Venice Beach on Saturday afternoon. He faces a charge of attempted murder.
“I’m happy he’s in custody and doesn’t pose a threat to the people of Venice Beach anymore,” Brian Churchill, Captain of Patrol at the LAPD’s Pacific Division, told the Times.
The attack was particularly gory. The victim’s arm was nearly severed, left mangled and spewing blood. He was rushed to a nearby hospital after the violent encounter.
LAPD said officers responded to a 6:24 p.m. report of “an assault with a deadly weapon” at 720 Rose Avenue in Venice. The altercation took place outside of Venice Community Housing, where, the LAPD confirmed, Tucker lived. The sidewalk and the building’s concrete barrier were left splattered with blood.
The victim, whom the LAPD did not name, was 27 years old and did not live in the building. Tucker, they said, is in his late 20s.
Churchill said the initial report was that the two men got into an argument over some property they both claimed.
The victim’s arm was in such bad shape when the LAPD arrived that the officers applied a tourniquet. Churchill said it saved his life.
“If it weren’t for their quick action, he would have bled out,” Churchill said.
LAPD obtained a warrant and recovered the sword from inside the building, Churchill added.
VCH co-director, Erika Lee, said the nonprofit was “very disturbed” by the incident.
“It was a serious, violent incident in front of the building,” she said. “There were witnesses. I was in the building and didn’t see the incident. I don’t know the witnesses. But people said [the two men] seemed to know each other.”
Lee said staff came in on Saturday to help assuage residents.
“We’re very concerned,” she said. “We take safety very seriously. We’re meeting with residents and want to make sure everyone in the building feels safe and secure.”
Witnesses told KTLA they saw the men arguing on the sidewalk before Tucker went inside the apartment building and returned with the 16-inch-long sword. He then hacked at the victim’s arm. The suspect fled before police got there and remained at large until Saturday afternoon.
VCH issued a flierto residents after the altercation, warning them that Tucker lived nearby and should be considered “armed and dangerous” — and not to approach him.
Lee said the incident is especially unfortunate, given the good work VCH does.
The affordable housing provider has been in operation in Venice since 1988. It opened in 2022 at that location. In addition to housing for low-income residents, it provides job training for residents as well as “supportive services,” such as life skills workshops and cooking classes, to a broader group of participants in need.
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