Hate crime charges are expected to be announced Friday after two shootings within 24 hours this week in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles.
The U.S. Attorney’s office has scheduled a news conference to announce the charges this afternoon.
A man found with a rifle and handgun was apprehended in Riverside County at around 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release on Thursday.
The first shooting happened on Wednesday around 9:55 a.m. in the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street, close to Jewish synagogues. The second was on Thursday around 8:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of South Bedford Street.
LAPD described the suspect in both shootings as an Asian man with a mustache and a goatee. His name has not been released.
Residents of the Jewish community said they believe the men were targeted for their religion.
“They didn’t stop them to get their wallet, there was no struggle, the guy just came out of the bushes, shot my friend and ran away,” resident Vivian Eisenstadt told ABC7. “What other reasoning could you have?”
No way was it a coincidence, local resident Shiva Mehrannia told the station. “In a very Jewish neighborhood, both men leaving synagogues, possibly with a kippah on their head. I mean, you do the math. I think it’s pretty clear.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League of Southern California, the victim of Thursday’s shooting was attacked while leaving a synagogue.
The victims in both shootings survived.
The suspect “has a history of animus towards the Jewish community,” according to a statement from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. They did not elaborate.
The LAPD said more officers will be present in the areas where the shootings happened.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna wrote on his Twitter page that his agency also “will increase patrol checks around Jewish synagogues and Jewish centers in our jurisdictions. Patrol stations will remain vigilant and report any threats of…
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