SANTA MONICA—On Thursday, June 4, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Job Uriah Taylor, 28, will stand trial for committing several racially motivated assaults in the 1100 block of Santa Monica Beach. He was arrested on March 2, 2023.
The California State Supreme Court declined to review a ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeals finding that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lana Kim acted improperly when she ruled on March 12, 2025, that he could join Los Angeles County’s mental health diversion program instead of proceeding to trial.
In the statement, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman praised the ruling as a victory for public safety. He claimed that diverting suspects into mental health programs is appropriate for those who have committed minor crimes, but that those who have committed serious criminal acts, have injured innocent people, and pose a risk to public safety should not take part in these programs. He claimed that the actions of Taylor are why the District Attorney’s Office is seeking to amend the law to protect the public in the future.
After Judge Kim issued her ruling, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office appealed, arguing that Taylor posed a danger to public safety. On September 30, the Appeals Court ruled in favor of the district attorney’s office and its assessment and noted he previously discontinued mental health treatment, making it reluctant to believe he would willingly undergo treatment.
Before allegedly committing the attacks, a psychiatric facility had released him and his lawyers petitioned for a new hearing, which the Appeals Court granted on November 26. Several months later, it reaffirmed its earlier finding that Superior Court Judge Kim exceeded her authority, prompting Taylor’s lawyers to appeal to the State Supreme Court.
He was charged him with multiple felonies including one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon involving force that caused great bodily injury, and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The charges carry hate crime enhancements because the District Attorney’s Office alleges he shouted racial slurs during the attacks. Taylor claimed, after his arrest, someone sent him to Santa Monica to attack members of the city’s black community.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, following Taylor’s arrest, officers responded to reports of an attempted assault on Santa Monica Beach and found him around 7:30 a.m., yelling racial slurs and threatening to use a metal pipe to attack a black man walking his dog. He rode on a bicycle. About half an hour later, officers responded to an assault at the northern end of the train station platform at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue, where he was attacking a black man and a black woman, hitting them several times in the head with the earlier pipe while shouting racial slurs.
Two of the victims required medical treatment in a hospital. A third victim, Christian Hornburg, 64, suffered permanent disability after being attacked with a pipe.
The case is being overseen by Deputy District Attorney Steve Dickman of the Hate Crimes Unit. If found guilty, Taylor may face life in a California State Prison. The attacks he allegedly committed remain under investigation by the SMPD.
Canyon News reached out to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for comment but did not hear back before print.
