September 30, 2025: Court of Appeal Grants DA’s Petition to Overturn Mental Health Diversion for Defendant in Violent, Hate Crime Assault

LOS ANGELES - The California Court of Appeal has granted the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office petition to overturn a Superior Court ruling that allowed mental health diversion for a man accused of a vicious, racially charged assault in Santa Monica.

"Today's decision is a victory for public safety and for the victims whose lives were forever changed by this defendant's violent and hate-driven actions," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "I want to thank our Writs and Appeals Division, particularly Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Herring, for their tireless work on this petition. My office will continue to fight to ensure that those who commit brutal crimes face the full weight of justice in a courtroom."

Job Uriah Taylor (dob 12/26/1997) was arrested on March 3, 2023, after allegedly using a metal pipe to beat a man in an encampment adjacent to the 5th Street Expo station in Santa Monica. The unprovoked attack was the third of three assaults Taylor is accused of committing within the span of an hour.

Two of Taylor's victims were hospitalized. The final victim, 64-year-old Christian Hornburg, was beaten with a pipe. He survived but was severely injured with life-altering injuries.

Taylor was charged with attempted murder, three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), and one felony to count of assault with a deadly weapon with force resulting in great bodily injury. The charges also include a hate crime enhancement, as Taylor was heard shouting racial slurs at his victims during the attacks. Following his arrest, Taylor claimed he had been sent to Santa Monica to target Black residents.

On March 12, 2025, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lana Kim granted Taylor entry into the County's mental health diversion program instead of allowing the case to proceed to trial, where he faced a potential life sentence. The District Attorney's Office appealed that ruling, arguing that Taylor posed an unreasonable risk to public safety.

In its decision, the Court of Appeal agreed, emphasizing that Taylor had a history of abandoning treatment, had just been released from a psychiatric facility before committing the attacks, and presented an ongoing danger to the community. The Court found that there was no evidence he would follow through with voluntary treatment if granted diversion.

Taylor will now face trial on the original charges, including attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement. Further proceedings/pretrial conference for this case are set for Dec. 18, 2025, in Department 71 of the Airport Courthouse. If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison.

Case SA107988 is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steve Dickman of the Hate Crimes Unit and is being investigated by the Santa Monica Police Department.

The charges filed in this case are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.