Two shootings of Jewish men less than 24 hours after they left synagogues in Pico-Robertson County are being investigated as hate crimes by the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI, Mayor Karen Bass said.
Police arrested a suspect in the shooting Thursday night. A federal civil rights lawsuit will be filed against the man, who “has a history of hostility toward the Jewish community,” according to a statement from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement: “My heart goes out to the Jewish community in Pico-Robertson. It is shocking to see another shooting happen while members of their congregation are leaving the prayer… Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
The suspect was located in an area of Riverside County and investigators began working with federal and state partners to locate him, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The suspect was arrested without incident around 5:45 p.m., police said.
Investigators found several pieces of evidence, including a rifle and a handgun, police said.
The suspect’s name has not been released.
The first shooting happened around 9:55 a.m. Wednesday at the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street near Pico Boulevard between Robertson and La Cienega boulevards.
The second happened at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the 1600 block of South Bedford Street, two blocks south of Pico Boulevard and one block east of Shenandoah Street.
Both victims survived.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced before the arrests that it would “reallocate police resources to ensure a highly visible and preventative presence in the area.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna wrote on his Twitter page that his department “will be stepping up patrols around Jewish synagogues and Jewish centers in our jurisdictions. Patrol stations will remain vigilant and will report any threats of violence, up to and including serious crime.”
Bass said in a statement that “anti-Semitism and hate crime have no place in our city or country.”
She claimed: “Those complicit in any of them will be caught and held fully accountable. At a time of increasing anti-Semitism, these acts understandably made communities nervous.”
More from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles:
We continue to monitor the two separate shootings involving our members
Jewish community in Los Angeles and was informed by our law enforcement partners that the
A suspect believed to be responsible for both shootings has been arrested. we are amazing
grateful for the police’s diligence in apprehending the suspect.
We also learned that the suspect has a history of hostility towards the Jewish community
and these incidents are treated as hate crimes. Therefore, we are encouraged to do the same
heard that the US attorney will hear the case and file civil rights lawsuits at the federal level
violations.
Our community safety initiative continues to work with local law enforcement
sure that our Jewish community is safe.
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the LAPD at 877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be obtained through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or at http://www.lacrimestoppers.org.
The City News Service contributed to this report.
Source: Deadline
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