An unnamed Los Angeles man charged with two hate crimes pleaded not guilty to the crime of a Jewish man and committed anti-Semitic violence
The man who shot the two Jewish men was charged with hate crimes by police in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old is accused of targeting and shooting two Jewish men, because they were Jewish or he believed them to be, and was motivated by hate.
An “exhaustive” search for the suspect was launched after the victims were shot separately in the city’s western Pico-Robertson neighborhood on Wednesday and Thursday, about three blocks apart, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a release.
The attacks against members of the Jewish community in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood are intolerable according to the Mayor. “At a time of increased anti-Semitism, these acts have understandably set communities on edge. Just last December, I stood blocks away from where these incidents occurred as we celebrated the first night of Hanukkah together.”
There is an increase in antisemitic violence nationwide. The antisemitic attacks in the US reached an all time high in the year 2021, increasing 34% from the year before.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that the unnamed suspect was taken into custody without incident in nearby Riverside County after a lengthy search.
Earlier, authorities said they were searching for a suspect described as an Asian male with a mustache and goatee, possibly driving a white compact car. A license plate recorded near the scene of one of the shootings assisted authorities in locating and arresting the suspect, a law enforcement source told CNN.
A source said that federal agents were looking at the suspect’s past to see if he was in violation of federal law.
The Los Angeles Police Department Investigates the Associated Shooting of a Jewish Man with a Hateful Anti-Fascist
The following day, at around 8:30 a.m., the second victim was walking toward his home nearby when a man drove up and shot at him from inside a car, and then fled, the spokesperson said.
The victim is a pillar of our community and he was shot today. He has been a dear member for many years,” Beit El said in an email Thursday. The victim just concluded his morning prayer services, walked to his car dressed in his religious garb and was shot three times at point blank range.
The synagogue said it is working with police to implement security measures. The law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles said they are increasing their presence in the area and around the Jewish places of worship.
“The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the concern these crimes have raised in the surrounding community. We have been in close contact with religious leaders as well as individual and organizational community stakeholders,” the department’s release said.
The hate crime allegations against the suspect are tied to statements he made during the incident as well as social media posts he made involving an individual in Nazi-type clothing, according to the San Francisco District Attorney. An attorney for the suspect, Deputy Public Defender Olivia Taylor, said outside the courthouse that the man is “not guilty of any hate crime.”
A man in New Jersey is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a synagogue. The suspect has been charged.
Antisemitism and Hate Crime: The Case against a Los Angeles, D.C., State and U.S. Attorney’s Office
Police said they recovered a rifle and handgun as well as other items of evidence, and that their investigation alongside state and federal authorities is ongoing.
The recent shootings have set communities further on edge, at a time when antisemitic incidents are already reaching new heights, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
She stated that anti-semitic and hate crimes have no place in Los Angeles or our country. “Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable.”
The faith and political leaders say that they’re happy that the suspect is in custody, and that they hope to get the full picture of what happened.
“As such, we are heartened to have also learned that the U.S. Attorney will take the case and file federal charges on civil rights violations,” it added.
There was a wave of incidents last fall in Los Angeles, which included antisemitic leafleting and a demonstration under a “Kanye is right” flag.
Ted Lieu pointed out that the LA community is still reeling from recent mass shootings like the attack on the dance studio in Monterey Park last month.