LAPD Arrests Suspect in Shootings Outside Synagogues; ‘Hate Crime’ Investigated

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a suspect Thursday in two recent shootings near synagogues in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Pico-Robertson, which are now being investigated as hate crimes.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the suspect “has a history of animus toward the Jewish community.”

The Times added:

The first shooting occurred around 10 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Shenandoah and Cashio streets, when a man in his 40s was shot in the back while walking to his vehicle, authorities said. The second was around 8:30 a.m. Thursday near Pickford and South Bedford streets — about two blocks away — when a man walking home was shot in the arm. Both victims survived the attacks.

…

Authorities tracked the suspect to an area in Riverside County, and investigators began working with federal and regional partners to find him, according to the LAPD. He was taken into custody around 5:45 p.m. Thursday.

The community, which saw antisemitic attacks during the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, and the Hamas war against Israel in 2021, is on high alert. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement on the attacks:

These attacks against members of our Jewish community in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood are 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. Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable.

The local Jewish community has become more security-conscious recently, as perceived dangers have increased. Local activists have formed a non-profit security group, and some rabbis have taken firearms training.

The LAPD is providing additional security to Jewish institutions in the wake of the two recent shootings.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.