Suspect in LA Shul Shootings Arrested

A man has been arrested in the case of two shul shootings this week in LA.

The LAPD says the suspect was arrested in Riverside County and evidence was seized that included a rifle and handgun.

Although police initially said there was no evidence to confirm antisemitism, they say the circumstances led them to pursue the investigation as a hate crime.

Earlier, the LAPD issued a press release stating that the February 15 and 16 shootings on Pico Boulevard “may have involved the same suspect”: an Asian male with a goatee driving a white compact vehicle.

“The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the concern these crimes have raised in the surrounding community,” the statement said. “We have been in close contact with religious leaders as well as individual and community stakeholders. In addition, we are re-allocating police resources to provide a highly visible preventative presence in the area.”

The report certainly increases the likelihood that the shooter is an antisemite who was specifically targeting Jews.

In addition, the Jewish Journal quoted a reputable source who claimed that the local police informed him that they had apprehended a suspect, however that has not been confirmed.

On Thursday, an orthodox Jew was shot by a man in a car, after leaving Shul. It was the second such incident in two days. According to reports, at 8:20 a.m. a man was walking out of shul when a suspect identified as a white male shot him.

The incident happened near S. Bedford Street and Pico Boulevard on the westside of Los Angeles.

Less than 24 hours prior, a man was shot leaving a Shul at about 10 a.m. nearly a block away. That victim was also struck in the arm and listed in stable condition.