Santa Monica Officer Slashed Multiple Times Before Fatally Shooting Suspect

Posted • November 24, 2024: Santa Monica police released body camera and surveillance video on Thursday showing a knife-wielding man attacking an officer outside the front door of the police station. The incident unfolded the evening of Oct. 5 when, according to police, Deyaa Abdelhadi Halaibeh, 28, first assaulted an employee at the Target store on 420 Broadway and ran away with a knife set. Halaibeh then walked a short distance to the police station on Olympic Drive, where he rang the call button to speak to an officer, security video shows. An officer opened the door to the courtyard and immediately encountered Halaibeh, with his right hand tucked inside his jacket, standing near two other people who were also waiting to speak to police. “What’s in your jacket? I’m kind of nervous with your hand in your jacket like that,” the officer asked. Halaibeh, who appeared agitated, responded by asking, “You’re nervous?” and immediately pulled out a knife and slashed at the officer.

Body camera and surveillance footage show the officer running around a corner in an attempt to get away, but Halaibeh caught up with him, and they both fell to the ground. The officer fired several shots as he got to his feet and backed away with his service weapon pointed at his attacker. “Get on the ground!” the officer yelled. Instead, Halaibeh stood up and walked toward the officer while still holding the knife, later determined to be a purple 8-inch Cuisinart blade he had stolen from Target, according to police. The officer opened fire, striking Halaibeh with several rounds that proved to be fatal. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer sustained “multiple, severe” stab wounds to his neck and shoulder area, police said. Investigators determined that Halaibeh, originally from New York State, had been in the Santa Monica area for around a week. The motive for the attack remains unknown.