Woman With Knife Arrested; LA Mayor Candidate Leaves Boardwalk

VENICE, CA — A woman armed with a knife was detained and arrested during a news conference on the Venice Beach boardwalk with a candidate for Los Angeles Mayor and current L.A. City Councilmember.

"Our city has devolved into a place where chaos is common," Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles City Councilmember and L.A. Mayor candidate said during a news conference early Monday.

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Minutes later, a private security officer detained a woman on the boardwalk who had a knife. The council member left the area following the event.

A Los Angeles Police Department captain was cut by the knife while assisting Buscaino's private security team in detaining the woman, according to the LAPD Officer Lizeth Lomeli, who said the injury was minor.

Before leaving Venice and the press conference, Buscaino said he wanted to eliminate LAHSA, a city and county service that helps unhoused people, build housing faster and cut red tape and enforce a ban on encampments at beaches, parks and sidewalks.

The woman, who said her name was Angel in a video captured on Twitter, was taken into custody, police said. The woman appears to refuse to let go of the knife during her arrest, saying "I'm not letting go of my property." She said she had to knife to protect herself from rape.

By 7:30 p.m. Monday she was back on the boardwalk again and released from police custody, neighbors told Patch.

The homeless crisis and encampments have grown in Venice and other Westside neighborhoods throughout the pandemic with more than 200 tents lining the sidewalk along Ocean Front Walk. Buscaino has been critical of moves to create "safe camping" and last month voted against a motion to create a feasibility study to consider adding more shelters and other housing alternatives to the Westside.

Buscaino released a statement Monday morning following the incident.

"I am grateful for my safety, the safety of the public, and the quick action of the Los Angeles Police Department," Buscaino said. "This is exactly why I was in Venice Beach today, charting a new course for our city, and I am convinced now, more than ever, that bold action is needed to make our city safer for everyone, regardless of housing status."

Buscaino announced on March 15 that he will run for mayor in 2022. The 46-year-old former police officer, who represents the 15th Council District, said he will focus his campaign on quality of life through improving public safety and addressing homelessness.

“I want to clean up Los Angeles while being respectful to the unhouse,” says @JoeBuscaino as he launches his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles. He’s announcing a three point plan for “a safer Los Angeles.” pic.twitter.com/TYg8kL1rvw
— Kate Cagle (@KateCagle) June 7, 2021

Breaking: Private security working for @JoeBuscaino interrupted the event when they noticed this woman holding a knife near the mayoral candidate. LAPD officers detained her and you can clearly see the weapon in this video. Buscaino has been told it’s unsafe to stay here and left pic.twitter.com/tuLDRTZPWV
— Kate Cagle (@KateCagle) June 7, 2021

So @JoeBuscaino is gone. He was quickly hustled out after security spotted an unhoused person standing behind Buscaino with a knife. She said it was for protection and to cut fruit. She was quickly detained by @lapd pic.twitter.com/7nIqJGCdOg
— Benjamin Oreskes(@boreskes) June 7, 2021

City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 9:41 p.m. with suspect released.

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