L.A. mayoral campaign interrupted by security team, LAPD subduing woman armed with knife
Los Angeles CA June 9 2021
Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino’s mayoral campaign speech on homelessness ended in chaos early Monday morning, June 7, when a woman with a hunting knife moved behind the candidate and was quickly arrested by Los Angeles police officers.
Three plain clothes security officers from the Black Knight Patrol in San Pedro who were hired by the campaign after weekend Twitter activity indicated a push for activists to turn out for the event at Venice Beach first spotted the woman and advised Buscaino to leave the area.
A Los Angeles Police Department captain was cut by the knife while assisting Buscaino’s private security team detain the woman, said LAPD Officer Lizeth Lomeli. The injury was minor.
The woman was identified as Alaia Smith, 19, from Washington. She was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, LAPD’s public information office said. If charged and convicted of the misdemeanor, Smith could face up to a year in county jail.
The woman apparently told officers that the knife fell out of her pocket and that she has the knife to protect herself, according to video footage posted on Twitter by Spectrum1 reporter Kate Cagle.
In the video posted by Cagle, the woman appears to refuse to let go of the knife during her arrest, saying “I’m not letting go of my property.”
It was not immediately clear what occurred before the woman was detained. But Cagle reported that a witness told police that the woman made a threat while holding the knife.
“I am grateful for my safety, the safety of the public, and the quick action of the Los Angeles Police Department,” Buscaino said in a statement released Monday morning. “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 was at Venice Beach to announce his “Plan for a Safer Los Angeles” and had already finished his speech on what will be one of the most high-profile topics in the mayor’s race next year to replace outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti.
