Police Wednesday were searching for witnesses who may have seen a violent altercation that occurred Tuesday night between two men in the area of the Venice Beach Boardwalk.
Residents say the beating, which was captured on video by a nearby resident, is only the latest incident in a string of violence that has recently plagued the neighborhood.
Officers responded to the boardwalk about 10:30 p.m. after receiving a radio call of two people fighting, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Those involved in the altercation left the scene before the officers arrived.
Footage recorded by Tim Geoghegan, who was on the top floor of his apartment building at the time, shows a man attacking the victim by swinging a skateboard and then his fists.
Geoghegan said he has called police several times in the past to report similar incidents, and that Tuesday he “started videotaping it because it’s just been getting a lot crazier.” That same night, he posted the video on YouTube.
Laura Lee, who has lived in Venice for 17-years, said the neighborhood’s decline — particularly near the boardwalk — has accelerated in recent months.
“I would say that our neighbors call, probably, on average five times a week about things that we see that are violent … drug use, meth use,” she said.
Geoghegan said he published the video in an effort to alert authorities and city officials about the ongoing situation in the area.
“Raising awareness of that is the first step,” he said. “Then I hand that off — that’s the police, that’s the City Council. It’s more of just tamping down the violence a bit.
“Keep Venice weird, but less stabby,” he said.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Pacific Division detectives at 310-482-6334, or 877-527-3247.