City Council’s Commendation for Wilker Was Made at Its Most Recent Meeting on July 9
Santa Monica City Council commended a local unhoused resident for her heroic efforts in fighting off Jawann Garnett, who now faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison for his actions, from assaulting and possibly attempting to murder a teenage girl on Santa Monica Beach in late June.
On June 24 just before 10 a.m., Jenna Wilker was on Santa Monica beach when she witnessed Garnett attempting to strangle and rape a 17-year-old girl. She acted promptly to pull the perpetrator away from his victim, but was punched and bitten by the man before he continued attacking the teenage victim. Soon after, Garnett then began assaulting a woman in her 70s, pulling her into the ocean and holding her underwater.
Authorities arrived within minutes, halting Garnett’s rampage and taking him into custody. The juvenile victim was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries and later released. The other two victims, including Wilker, were treated on scene by lifeguards and fire department personnel.
Following the incident, the District Attorney charged Garnett with attempted murder and felony child abuse for the attack on the juvenile, assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury and assault with intent to commit rape for the attack on Wilker, and attempted murder and kidnapping for the assault on the elderly woman.
Garnett, who is currently homeless, has a criminal history in Los Angeles County that includes prior arrests for assault with intent to commit rape, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, and domestic violence.
City Council’s commendation for Wilker was made at its most recent meeting on July 9.
“Jenna’s actions demonstrated selflessness and courage under extreme circumstances, and prevented further harm to the victim and helped the SMPD apprehend the suspect. Jenna’s actions highlight the important role a bystander can play when they see someone in need of help.” Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock stated on LinkedIn.
A GoFundMe page titled “Let’s House Our Hero, Jenna Wilker” aims to raise $15,000 in order for Wilker to find a residence and help pay for food and other bills. At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised over $4,600 across 123 donations.
The GoFundMe can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-house-our-hero-jenna-wilker.
