Alleged gunman in custody after 2 Jewish men shot in suspected hate crime: Police

Two Jewish men were shot in Los Angeles within 24 hours in what police said they are investigating as a hate crime.

A suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening with police saying they believe he is responsible for both shootings, which occurred in West Los Angeles on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

"The facts of the case led to this crime being investigated as a hate crime," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Thursday night. "In an abundance of caution, there will continue to be an increased police presence and patrols around Jewish places of worship and surrounding neighborhoods through the weekend."

According to law enforcement sources, the suspect allegedly has a history of animus toward the Jewish community.

In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said, in part: "We have also learned that the suspect has a history of animus towards the Jewish community and these incidents will be treated as hate crimes. As such, 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 first shooting occurred shortly before 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, when a man in his 40s was shot while getting into his vehicle, police said. The suspect fired at the victim while driving by, striking him, then took off, police said.

The second shooting occurred Thursday around 8:30 a.m. a couple of blocks from the first incident, when a suspect fired upon a victim at an intersection from a vehicle, police said.

The victims are in stable condition, police said.

Both incidents occurred in LA's Pico-Robertson area, which is home to many synagogues and religious centers. The victims were leaving houses of worship, according to Jeffery Abrams, regional director for Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles, which he said was working with the LAPD amid the investigation into the incidents.

Police described the suspected shooter as an Asian man with a mustache and goatee driving a possible white compact vehicle.

A suspect was taken into custody around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday following an "exhaustive search" that led officers to an area in Riverside County, the LAPD said. Federal and regional partners helped locate the suspect, who has not been publicly identified. Evidence, including a rifle and handgun, were allegedly recovered, police said.

The LAPD said it is reallocating resources "to provide a highly visible and preventative presence in the area."

"The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the concern these crimes have raised in the surrounding community," the LAPD said in a statement Thursday evening. "We have been in close contact with religious leaders as well as individual and organizational community stakeholders."

The FBI is assisting the LAPD in the case to determine if it was a hate crime.

LA Mayor Karen Bass said her office was monitoring the incidents.

"These attacks against members of our Jewish community in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood are absolutely unacceptable," she said in a statement. "It is my understanding that both the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI are investigating these incidents as hate crimes so I want to be very clear: anti-Semitism and hate crimes have no place in our city or our country. Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable."

LA City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the district where both shootings occurred, said that the LAPD will provide "heightened deployment around all Jewish institutions citywide" in the wake of the attacks.

"These two shootings are deeply concerning," Yaroslavsky said on Twitter. "We have seen a rise in antisemitic attacks in recent months, and while there remain questions on the motivation of these particular shootings, we cannot ignore the pain and trauma that they have triggered in the community."

Lili Bosse, the mayor of nearby Beverly Hills, also confirmed that police were "placing extra security around our houses of worship in our city."

The victims were Orthodox Jews leaving their synagogues following morning prayers, according to Agudath Israel of America, an organization representing Haredi Orthodox Jews, which called for the shootings to be investigated as hate crimes "until we know otherwise."

In a statement prior earlier Thursday, the organization urged Los Angeles institutions "to be especially vigilant in the days ahead."