2 shootings of Jewish men in LA believed to be hate crimes

LOS ANGELES: A person was taken into custody Thursday in connection with the shootings of two Jewish men outside synagogues in Los Angeles this week that investigators believe were hate crimes, police said.

The violence set off fear among the city’s Jewish community as police increased patrols around houses of worship and officials decried the attacks.

The two separate shootings occurred after the men left synagogues in the city’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Southern California branch.

Both men survived. “This is a relief,” the branch wrote on Twitter after the arrest was announced. “Tonight, we can rest easy. Tomorrow, we will continue to fight against antisemitism.”

The person was tracked and taken into custody Thursday in Riverside County, Los Angeles police said in a statement. Detectives seized a rifle and a handgun.

The shootings happened in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday. Detectives said they were likely perpetrated by the same man, though it was not immediately clear whether he was the person who was taken into custody on Thursday.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced the violence after news of the arrest broke.

“I want to be very clear: anti-Semitism and hate crimes have no place in our city or our country,” Bass said. “Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable.”