One of the two men wanted in connection with an alleged assault on a Danish tourist in Venice has been taken into custody after turning himself in to police, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Saturday.
The incident happened on Washington Boulevard near Speedway at around 12:35 a.m. on Oct. 30, according to the police department.
Seeking the public’s help in identifying the felony battery suspects, the LAPD released edited surveillance footage without sound on Friday.
Video shows a man, referred to by police as Suspect #1, approaching another man and slapping him. The video cuts to the same suspect hitting something in the man’s hand, then preventing him from picking it up before they tussle.
The man, identified by the LAPD as a Danish tourist, is again seen with Suspect #1, who seems to reach into the tourist’s pocket. Video shows another man, referred to by police as Suspect #2, slug the tourist, who falls to the ground and lies unconscious in front of witnesses.
Footage later shows Suspect #2 on the phone.
The tourist had a laceration to the right side of his head and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, police said. Officials did not provide an update on his condition Saturday.
Since the video was released, police say Suspect #2 has turned himself in. Aiden Shaw, 25, was arrested on suspicion of felony battery at about 10 p.m. after turning himself in to police at the LAPD’s Pacific Station, the agency said Monday. He was being held on $50,000 bond.
The LAPD said Saturday that it is confident Suspect #1 will be in custody soon.
In a statement to NBC4, Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Venice, called the incident “completely unacceptable” and said she was in communication with the LAPD.
“As leadership changes in City Hall, this is another important reminder that public safety must remain a top priority,” Park’s statement read, in part.
After viewing the video of the incident, Mark Ryavec, president of the Venice Stakeholders Association — a neighborhood improvement organization — told NBC Los Angeles he wasn’t surprised.
“We’ve been seeing these kinds of assaults, and it’s not surprising to see them here around the Venice Pier,” Ryavec said, later adding, “People feel an immunity to be able to commit these kinds of crimes in Venice and in other parts of the city.”