Santa Monica councilman turns table when he confronts homeless man over litter

A Santa Monica City councilman was harassed by an apparently homeless man Sunday afternoon after asking him to throw away the flyers he had just torn down. 

Phil Brock, a lifelong Santa Monica resident, saw the homeless man ripping up flyers and throwing them on the ground.

The man, 20-year-old Sawyer Walden Allee, began spewing expletives at Brock, who went himself to pick up the flyers and place them in a nearby trash can.

It was then that Allee moved to confront Brock, who advised the homeless man not to proceed. But Allee persisted and as Brock turned to walk away, Allee tossed some kind of warm, sticky liquid from a soda bottle at him.

He then threw the bottle itself and continued to shout and scream incoherently. 

Brock, was able to turn the tables, however, and get Allee on the ground and pinned until police arrested the suspect.  

The homeless man, 20-year-old Sawyer Walden Allee, began spewing expletives at Santa Monica City councilman Phil Brock before throwing liquid at him and stealing his hat

The troubling incident happened shortly after the Downtown Santa Monica Inc. board voted to proceed with a plan to install a private security company that will patrol the Third Street Promenade - where the attack happened.

According to the Santa Monica Police Department, Allee was arrested and booked for battery and grand theft from a person. His court date is set for late August.

After his booking, Allee was placed on an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hospitalization.

As Allee sprayed liquid on Brock shortly after the confrontation, Brock and his partner were at dialed 911 and tried to distance themselves from the crazed man. But Allee followed them as they tried to walk away.

Allee eventually snatched Brock's white bucket hat from his head.

Brock later told the Santa Monica Daily Press: 'At that point, I was like, ‘I’m not gonna let him steal my hat’ and I kept telling him to give me back the hat, give me back the hat.'

'As I tried to grab it, he stumbled backwards and fell and I ended up trying to hold him down.'

Brock then called to a nearby community ambassador to bring over Public Safety officers from the community policing station. The officers made their way over along with five Santa Monica Police Department units, which arrived minutes later.

'He was put into a SUV and transported away and we gave statements. Then we walked home, a very sticky walk home because whatever it was that he’d had in the bottle was like Gatorade, Coke Cola, something really sticky and syrupy, we were covered with it,' said Brock.

'But we got changed, got back into the car, went out for dinner and went to see a movie. We did not let it intimidate us nor deter us from going back to our promenade.' 

Brock was attacked over the weekend in Santa Monica by a homeless man. He said the issue of unhoused people needs to be dealt with for the sake of Santa Monica residents and business owners

The troubling incident happened shortly after the Downtown Santa Monica Inc. board voted to proceed with a plan to install a private security company that will patrol the Third Street Promenade - where the attack happened

A detailed report on the plan to have a private company patrol the area is expected to be presented during the next Council meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday.

Brock also emphasized the Council's need to 'compassionately' serve the business owners and residents of Santa Monica, as well as the unhoused people, indicating that it may be time for a stronger-handed approach to the issue than in years past.

'After we’d had a chance to reflect,' Brock said, 'My significant other felt that if it wasn’t me, he would’ve either gone into a store or maybe even attack someone on the Promenade.

'Obviously I prefer it wasn’t me, but, you know, if it’s a choice between a resident or visitor or salesperson working in a store or me, I rather be me.'