LAPD arrests suspect in Venice tourist attack
Editor's Note: LAPD later clarified that they only had one suspect in custody and that the second man allegedly involved in the attack is still at large.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man accused of attacking a tourist in Venice in late October.
Officers said Turlock resident Aiden Shaw, 25, turned himself in to the LAPD's Pacific Division on Nov. 6, about a week after the altercation. He was booked into jail for felony battery with great bodily injury. His bail was set at $50,000. The LA County District Attorney's Office charged Shaw with robbery, assault and battery.
On Sunday, LAPD said the suspect turned himself in on Saturday, but in their later press release, they said the suspect turned himself over to officers on Friday, Nov. 6.
Shaw and another man are accused of attacking a Danish national and knocking him unconscious near the corner of Washington Boulevard and Speedway, early on Oct. 30. Surveillance camera footage of the altercation shows one of the men slapping the tourist before the other suspect punches the victim in the face, knocking him to the ground.
The Los Angeles Fire Department found the tourist with a laceration to the head, according to officers. Paramedics rushed the victim to a local hospital, where doctors treated his "serious injuries," according to LAPD.
After news of the suspect's arrest first broke on Sunday, LA City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the area, shared a message on Instagram.
"In a lawless act of violence, an innocent tourist was attacked by two men and left unconscious by the Venice pier on October 30," Park wrote. "Suspect #2 is now in custody, but Suspect #1 remains at large. As leadership changes in City Hall, this is another important reminder that public safety must remain a top priority."
Detectives identified the other suspect as Malik Preatto, a Los Angeles resident. Investigators asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call Detective Patrick Foley at (323) 369-1621 or dial 911.
