A man with a history of hostility toward the Jewish community was arrested after shootings of two men outside Los Angeles-area synagogues this week, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The shootings occurred as antisemitism is on the rise around the country. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) last year reported that the number of antisemitic incidents reached a record high in 2021 of 2,717, a 34% increase from 2020.
After the suspect's arrest, the Los Angeles Police Department issue a statement saying "the facts of the case led to the crime being investigated as a hate crime," the Times reported.
Council member Katy Young Yaroslavsky, whose district includes the shooting locations, said she's troubled by the shootings, which coincide with "a rise in antisemitic attacks in recent months."
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles praised "law enforcement's diligence in apprehending the suspect."
"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 statement read, the Times reported.
Other local Jewish leaders expressed concern about the alleged hate crimes.
"For the last two days, the community has been on edge and continues to be on edge, even with the arrest of a suspect," Ariella Loewenstein, ADL Los Angeles deputy regional director, told the Times.
"Anytime that a community is targeted because of who they are — and in this case who they worship and being Jewish — it's always terrifying."
ADL Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams issued a statement to the Times saying the group is "aware that the case is being investigated as a hate crime and look forward to learning more about a possibly hate-driven motive."
The shootings occurred in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood.
On Wednesday morning, a man in his 40s was shot in the back while walking to his vehicle, authorities said. On Thursday morning, a man walking home was shot in the arm. Both victims survived the attacks.
The victims described seeing a male shooting suspect, an LAPD officer told the Times.
Authorities tracked the suspect to an area in Riverside County, and he was taken into custody late Thursday afternoon, LAPD said.
Detectives recovered several items of evidence, including a rifle and a handgun, the Times said.
"At a time of increased anti-Semitism, these acts have understandably set communities on edge," Mayor Karen Bass said. "Just last December, I stood blocks away from where these incidents occurred as we celebrated the first night of Hanukkah together. Now, my pledge to the Pico-Robertson community and to the City of Los Angeles as a whole, is that we will fight this hatred vigorously and work every day to defeat it."
A recent poll showed that 43% of American Jews say antisemitism has "increased a lot" and 39% maintain it has "increased somewhat."
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