Woman killed in brutal assault at Santa Monica assisted living facility, police say

A woman was killed Saturday in what police and news reports described as a brutal assault at an assisted living home in Santa Monica.

The victim, whose name and age have not been released, was assaulted in a communal bathroom of an apartment building in the 1900 block of Pico Boulevard, police and news accounts said. Officers were called to the address around 5:21 p.m. for a report of a woman requiring medical assistance and found her suffering from “significant injuries” from the attack, Santa Monica police said in a news release.

Santa Monica Fire Department personnel tried to revive the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hours later, police posted on social media that they had arrested a male suspect in connection with the case. The department’s online arrest log shows that a 35-year-old man was taken into custody in the 3600 block of Crenshaw Boulevard and later booked into jail on suspicion of murder.

Authorities have not provided further details, and a police spokesperson didn’t immediately respond Sunday afternoon to an email and voicemail seeking comment.

Police did not say where the assault occurred, but KTLA cited neighbors who identified the building as a longtime assisted living facility for mentally ill and developmentally disabled adults called the Manor.

The fatal attack follows another homicide in the upscale seaside city.

Last week, a 24-year-old man was gunned down after a fight broke out between two opposing groups near the Santa Monica Pier. Police responded to a report of gunfire around 12:30 a.m. July 20 in a parking lot next to the pier, which earlier in the day had been packed with World Cup watchers. When officers arrived, they found the man, later identified as Edgar Buitmea, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 16-year-old Las Vegas boy later turned himself in after he was identified as the suspected gunman.

The case remains under investigation.

Santa Monica Police Department statistics show that so-called Part I crimes — which include violent crimes such as homicides and robberies, as well as burglaries — decreased by nearly 13%, from 4,793 incidents in 2024 to 4,194 in 2025.