Shooting at North Hollywood synagogue investigated as hate crime; man detained [Updated]

A gunman approached a North Hollywood synagogue this morning and shot two people before fleeing, according to police, who are investigating the attack as a hate crime. 

The shooting occurred at 6:20 a.m. at the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic synagogue in the 12000 block of Sylvan Street.

Two men about 30 years old were each shot in the lower torso and were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, according to an LAPD spokesperson. The LAPD described them as Jewish.

LAPD sources told The Times that the gunman approached the victims as they were about to enter the temple for morning prayers. The sources said the gunman pulled out his weapon and fired. The gun jammed at first, then he fired again.

Detectives don't believe the motive was robbery, said the sources, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because the investigation is ongoing.

At about 7:40 a.m., Los Angeles police arrested a man near the synagogue, but the sources say they don't believe he was the gunman.

[Updated at 8:01 a.m.: LAPD officials have alerted other synagogues around Los Angeles about the shooting, and police have stepped up patrols at Jewish religious institutions.

The sources said detectives are trying to determine the motive, and whether the gunman acted alone or as part of a larger group.]

--Richard Winton, Raja Abdulrahim, Andrew Blankstein and Baxter Holmes

Comments

[ISRAEL FOREVER]

ISRAEL FOREVER

[Steve]

He may have acted 'alone' but his anti-Semitism is encouraged by the company he keeps.

[Tziporah]

Shalom. I know two gentlemen, Moshe and Mordechai, two dear and old friends of mine, who pray at that kehilla.

Que Ha Shem bendiga a todos los Sefardis ahora y para siempre.

Tzipi
San Marino, California

[pam]

"The LAPD described them as Jewish."
What does "Jewish" look like? This is a description?

[sarah]

People are disgusting.. there is nothing in the world worse than hate crimes.. Ignorant screwed up people ruin this world... I hope whoever did this is punished properly AND educated..

[Carla Riehl]

Stop these hate crimes! Didn't we see enough violence against Jews in the holocaust? As a Gentile, I am appalled that guns would be pointed at those on their way into morning prayers in the temple. Hasn't Israel and the entire Jewish community been attacked enough in our history? Let's all speak up and stand with our Jewish brethren in Los Angeles. Gentiles- speak up and support our Jewish neighbors. This is unacceptable in our city!

[Steve]

Why does this carry the title of "hate crime"? Isn't violence of this sort hateful regardless of who the victim may be? Jew, Muslim, Christian, white, black, gay, straight? This hyper-sensitivity is going to be the downfall of this great country. It is going to get to the point where we can't even have eye contact with anyone because our eyes may have a "hateful" gaze about them. If this would have happened outside of a Catholic Church, would it be reported as a hate crime?

[John Keane]

Whilst the shooting of any human being is dispicable. How do they already know that it's a hate crime? The level of paranoia in the US with the Jewish community is very disturbing and the rush to judgement by the authorities in branding it a hate crime with no investigation or shooter apprehended and the fact that they are rushing around beefing up security at synagogues all over LA adds fuel to that fire. It could have been any number of things. I do wish they would stop with this alarmist presumption of events anytime something happens to a Jewish person. You don't get this reaction in church shooting in Watts.

[ADH]

the Nazis in Riverside have marched twice in the last 6 weeks. Extream right-wing hate is spreading. This should be a warning to everyone.

[Sandra Zinn]

Why was this listed under the "Entertainment" section of Google news????

[Sandra Zinn]

Why was this listed under the "Entertainment" section of Google News ????

[tickyul]

Was it an URBAN YOUTH, I heard they really hate jews?

[Larry]

This is a very unusual occurrence being that the gunman was possibly male Black...

[Benjamin Serrano]

This is why I'm so upset about california letting neo-nazi's protest against illegal immigrants in Riverside.Thanks Arnold! for subjecting your fellow califorians to this kind of abuse.

[fred]

Will Larry David be making a public apology to the victims?

[Andrew Evans]

The anti-Semites who write the LA Times anti-Israel editorials contributed to this crime.

[Kenneth Kehl]

It is a shame when people have to protect themselves when they enter a place of worship. My question is why?

[Bob M]

Where is the mention of the ethnic and religious association of the gunman who attacked the jewish temple? Other news organizations have reported the gunman as described to be associated with radical Islamic/Muslim fundamentalists of Middle Eastern or African decent!

[rob w]

If this is indeed an incident involving a sun child of color then it is indeed not a hate crime but a vital and legitimate expression of "blackness".
Because of historical inequities no incident of color on white crime can be considered "hate".

[Shira]

@steve, anti-Jewish hate crimes account for almost 70% of all religion-based hate crimes, at least in 2007, the most recent reported year on the FBI website. That's compared to less than 5% for anti-Catholic hate crimes. So yeah - a crime outside a synagogue is far more likely to be a hate-motivated crime compared to a crime outside a Catholic church. If this was a non-black individual shooting at a black church, that'd be likely to be hate-motivated as well.

[aesr]

Why is it that a Jew gets shot and it's a hate crime automatically. A Latino or Black gets shot and it's automatically a gang-related drive-by. Hey Mayor Tony, do you have to be so obviously sycophantic and arrive at the scene with your yarmulke on faster than than the cops. Where are you when your Latino brethren get hit?