LOS ANGELES, CA – A juvenile suspect has been taken into custody after an attempted robbery near the Santa Monica Pier ended with a man in his 20s being shot in the leg, while police continue searching for other people believed to have been involved.
The shooting was reported at approximately 7:49 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, near the Pier ramp, according to the City of Santa Monica’s official police update.
Santa Monica Police Department investigators said a group of people approached the victim and an altercation developed during an attempted robbery.
During that confrontation, one person fired a gun and struck the victim in the leg.
Officers arrived and provided emergency medical assistance before the victim was transported to a local hospital.
Police said his injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening.
The group involved in the confrontation fled before officers arrived.
Police initially announced Sunday night that officers were working to identify and locate everyone involved.
The investigation changed significantly within hours.
On Monday afternoon, Santa Monica police announced that a juvenile suspect had been taken into custody later Sunday evening in connection with the shooting.
Because the suspect is a minor, police have not released a name, exact age or other identifying information.
Investigators are still working to determine the juvenile’s specific role in both the attempted robbery and the shooting.
That means police have not publicly confirmed whether the detained teenager was the person who fired the gun.
Authorities have also not said whether the juvenile was armed when taken into custody or where the arrest occurred.
Detectives continue trying to identify and locate the remaining people who participated in the incident.
The city said additional arrests are anticipated.
Police have not publicly stated how many people were in the group that approached the victim.
No descriptions of the outstanding individuals have been released.
Investigators also have not said whether the victim knew any of the people involved before the attempted robbery.
The preliminary police account indicates the violence began when the group approached the man and attempted to rob him, followed by a physical confrontation and the gunshot.
Authorities have not disclosed what property the group was allegedly attempting to take.
They also have not said whether anything was ultimately stolen.
The location is particularly significant because the Pier and surrounding beachfront are among Santa Monica’s busiest public spaces.
The Santa Monica Pier attracts residents and visitors throughout the year, while the ramp connecting the Pier with surrounding streets regularly carries heavy pedestrian traffic.
The shooting occurred on a Sunday evening while people were still visiting the waterfront and nearby businesses.
Police have not reported that any uninvolved pedestrians were injured.
The investigation is being handled by the Santa Monica Police Department, with detectives reviewing evidence and working to identify the other members of the group.
The department has not said whether surveillance cameras captured the attempted robbery or shooting.
Given the heavily visited location, investigators may have access to city cameras, business surveillance footage, cellphone video or other recordings from the area, but police have not publicly described what video evidence has been recovered.
Witness accounts could also become important.
The Pier, beach and downtown areas routinely draw large numbers of pedestrians, meaning detectives may be able to establish the group’s movements before and after the shooting through multiple sources.
Police have not released information about the firearm used.
Authorities also have not said whether a weapon has been recovered.
The juvenile’s detention does not establish guilt, and the minor is presumed innocent unless allegations are sustained through the juvenile justice process.
Because the suspect is under 18, information about any future court proceedings may also be more limited than it would be in an adult criminal case.
Police have not announced what offenses investigators intend to recommend against the juvenile.
The department’s update says only that the teenager is in custody in connection with the attempted robbery and shooting while detectives determine the suspect’s role.
The incident came during an unusually violent weekend in central Santa Monica.
One day earlier, on Aug. 22, a Santa Monica police officer fatally shot a knife-wielding man in Palisades Park after authorities said he advanced toward officers who were investigating an unrelated domestic violence report.
The two incidents are separate, and authorities have announced no connection between them.
Together, however, they prompted the city to increase visible police patrols around several heavily traveled public areas.
On Aug. 25, Santa Monica announced enhanced police deployments at the Pier, beach, Palisades Park and downtown.
The city specifically cited both weekend incidents when announcing the additional patrols.
Santa Monica said officers would maintain a more visible presence in those areas while police also reached out directly to Pier and downtown businesses about safety concerns and available resources.
Police Chief Darrick Jacob said the department’s goal was to maintain officers in places where residents, workers and visitors could easily see and contact them.
The city also said the suspected shooter in the Sunday Pier incident had been arrested within hours and that detectives were actively pursuing the remaining people involved.
Santa Monica had already been increasing police staffing in its downtown and tourist areas before the weekend shootings.
The city’s public-safety realignment strategy calls for eight to 10 sworn officers to be assigned daily to the Downtown Services Unit, supplemented by additional officers and public-safety personnel across areas including the Third Street Promenade, Palisades Park and downtown parking structures.
The city has also established a Downtown Police Substation at Santa Monica Place to provide officers with a closer operational base for the downtown core.
According to a city progress report, the Santa Monica Police Department reached full sworn staffing in 2026 for the first time in nearly two decades.
Those broader staffing changes do not establish anything about the circumstances of Sunday’s shooting, but they provide context for the city’s decision to further increase patrol visibility after the two weekend incidents.
Sunday’s shooting was also not the first violent incident near Santa Monica’s beachfront this year.
In July, police investigated a fatal shooting in Parking Lot 1 North near the Pier that followed an altercation between two groups.
A 16-year-old male was later taken into custody in that separate homicide investigation.
In March, officers also responded to gunfire on the Pier after a large fight in which two people suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Authorities have not indicated that any of those previous cases are connected with the Aug. 23 attempted robbery.
Each is being treated as a separate investigation.
For the latest case, police have confirmed that the victim is an adult male in his 20s and that his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
His name has not been released.
Investigators have not said whether he has been discharged from the hospital.
Police also have not disclosed whether the victim was visiting Santa Monica or lives locally.
The juvenile suspect remains in custody while detectives continue working to identify the others involved.
Because investigators have not yet established publicly who fired the weapon, it would be premature to characterize the detained teenager as the shooter.
The official police statement describes the minor only as a suspect connected to the incident and says detectives are still determining the juvenile’s role.
Anyone who witnessed the confrontation, recorded video near the Pier ramp or has information about the people who fled is being asked to contact police.
Santa Monica police specifically directed information to Detective Carlos Madrid at [email protected].
The department’s Watch Commander can also be reached around the clock at 310-458-8427.
The investigation remains active, and police continue searching for additional people believed to have participated in the attempted robbery.
