A suspect was convicted of murder after a man was found stabbed to death near the Santa Monica Pier, officials announced Tuesday.
On Nov. 2, 2022, Santa Monica police responded to a beach parking lot just north of the pier after a bystander noticed an injured man who was lying motionless inside a vehicle.
Arriving officers located the car and found the victim “grievously injured in a knife attack.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives learned the victim was a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, who had recently purchased the car from a private party in Southern California.
Forensics specialists gathered DNA swabs, fingerprints and evidence which eventually led them to identify the murder suspect as Mohamed Abou-Arabi, 24, also a Dearborn, Michigan resident, police said.
A warrant was issued for Abou-Arabi’s arrest. With help from the Dearborn Police Department, Santa Monica police was able to pinpoint Abou-Arabi’s movements from California back to Michigan.
In January 2023, Santa Monica detectives flew to Michigan and arrested Abou-Arabi on murder charges. He was booked into the Santa Monica Jail on Jan. 18, 2023, and has remained in the custody of L.A. County since.
At a trial in September 2024, Abou-Arabi was found guilty of first-degree murder. The circumstances surrounding the men’s connection to each other were not released.
“Abou-Arabi refused to provide a motive during the investigation and trial,” officials said.
He has two prior arrests for misdemeanor weapons offenses in Michigan. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December.