LAPD has arrested Jamie Tran in connection with the two shootings
UPDATE March 4, 2023: The federal grand jury issued an indictment Friday charging Jaime Tran, 28, with four hate crime counts. Tran was indicted on two counts of willfully causing bodily injury and attempting to kill and two counts of discharging a firearm in relation to the crimes.; more here.
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UPDATE March 3, 2023: Federal prosecutors charged Tran with two counts of hate crimes for targeting and shooting the two Jewish men. He faces a maximum sentence of life without parole. Tran slipped through the FBI's threat-tracking system despite suggesting he posed a considerable and deadly danger; more here.
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The Los Angeles Police Department have arrested Jamie Tran, the suspect in the shootings of two men outside synagogues in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of L.A. over the last two days.
The man has a history of animus toward the Jewish community; law enforcement sources told The Times.
In a statement late Thursday, the LAPD said that “the facts of the case led to the crime being investigated as a hate crime.”
In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles praised “law enforcement’s diligence in apprehending the suspect.”
“We are also encouraged to have learned that the U.S. Attorney will take the case and file federal charges on civil rights violations,” the statement read.
NGO StopAntisemitism has reported that Jamie Tran was known for his hatred of the Jewish people. LAPD apprehended Tran and the Jewish victims are expected to survive.
Sources have told StopAntisemitism the man arrested has been identified as Jamie Tran, known for his hatred of the Jewish people. pic.twitter.com/y2bKVFvlO2
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) February 17, 2023
The first shooting occurred around 10 a.m. On Wednesday, near the intersection of Shenandoah and Cashio streets, authorities said that a man in his 40s was shot in the back while walking to his vehicle. 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.
The men described seeing a male shooting suspect, said Police Lt. Park, a spokesperson for the LAPD who declined to give his first name.
According to the LAPD, authorities tracked the suspect to an area in Riverside County, and investigators began working with federal and regional partners to find him. He was taken into custody around 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Detectives recovered several items of evidence, including a rifle and a handgun.
Councilmember Katy Young Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Pico-Robertson, said earlier Thursday that she was concerned by the shootings, which coincide with “a rise in antisemitic attacks in recent months.”
Police said that, in an abundance of caution, there would be increased police presence and patrols around Jewish places of worship and surrounding neighborhoods through the weekend.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said on Twitter on Thursday night that his office was “working with the LAPD to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
“We stand in solidarity with members of the Jewish community and against these acts of violence,” he said.
In a statement late Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass thanked the LAPD for its investigation and for stepping up patrols.
“At a time of increased antisemitism, these acts have understandably set communities on edge,” 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 the City of Los Angeles is that we will fight this hatred vigorously and work every day to defeat it.”