L.A. police arrest suspect in shootings of 2 Jewish people, under investigation as potential hate crimes


A suspect has been arrested in connection with two separate shootings of Jewish men in Los Angeles earlier this week, police say, as the attacks are being investigated as potential hate crimes. 

Two Jewish men were shot in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood in separate shootings on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Both men were assaulted after leaving a synagogue, according to The Anti-Defamation League of Southern California, and the shootings happened less than a mile apart.

The first shooting unfolded Wednesday just before 10 a.m. on Shenandoah Street and the second occurred around 8:30 a.m. Thursday on South Bedford Street, police said.

The victims’ identities have not been released. 

After an “exhaustive search,” a suspect, who is believed to be responsible for the shootings, was taken into custody Thursday just before 6 p.m., Los Angeles police said in a news release.

The suspect was tracked to an area in Riverside County, and investigators worked with federal and regional partners to locate him, police said.

The suspect, who was described as an Asian man with a mustache and goatee but not identified, was taken into custody without incident. Authorities said detectives recovered “several items of evidence” including a rifle and a handgun. 

Police said earlier on Thursday that they believed one suspect was behind both shootings. They said he was likely driving a white compact car.

“The facts of the case led to this crime being investigated as a hate crime,” police said. 

Police said there will be an increased police presence and patrols around Jewish places of worship and surrounding neighborhoods through the weekend. 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles condemned the shooting and said it was “incredibly grateful” for the arrest.

“We have also learned that the suspect has a history of animus towards the Jewish community and these incidents will be treated as hate crimes,” the statement said. “As such, we are encouraged to also have learned that the U.S. Attorney will take the case and file federal charges on civil rights violations.”

The arrest was a “sigh of relief” for Los Angeles’ Jewish community,

The Anti-Defamation League’s Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams said.

“We are aware that the case is being investigated as a hate crime and look forward to learning more about a possibly hate-driven motive,” Abrams said in a statement.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the shootings “absolutely unacceptable.” 

“It is my understanding that both the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI are investigating these incidents as hate crimes so I want to be very clear: anti-Semitism and hate crimes have no place in our city or our country,” she said in a statement. “Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable.”

Andrew Blankstein contributed.



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