Man who stabbed Santa Monica officer had stolen knife from Target

A man who stabbed a Santa Monica police officer in front of the police station on Saturday night had stolen the knife from a nearby Target store just minutes earlier, authorities revealed on Tuesday.

Police identified the attacker as Deyaa Abdelhadi Halaibeh, 28, a resident of New York state with no prior criminal history in California . His housing status was unknown.

According to police, the officer was standing in front of the police station on Olympic Drive at about 5:21 p.m., collecting information from a resident about an unrelated call when Halaibeh confronted him.

“Our officer explained to the individual that he needed to wait while he spoke with the other party,” police said. “Without warning, the individual attacked the officer while pulling a knife from his clothing. The suspect slashed and stabbed the officer.”

The officer managed to step back and opened fire with his service weapon, striking Halaibeh, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just five minutes before the deadly encounter, police said an officer was flagged down by store security about a robbery that had just occurred at the Target at 420 Broadway.

“An employee of the store was pushed to the ground, and a box of kitchen knives was taken by a male subject who fled the area,” police said. “The box was later found abandoned with one knife missing. This knife, an 8-inch chef’s knife, was used by the subject when he accosted the officer.”

Halaibeh’s motive remains unknown, and police did not say if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Zamfirov at peter.zamfirov@santamonica.gov , Detective Sgt. Lozano at alfonso.lozano@santamonica.gov , or the Santa Monica Police Department’s Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.

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